Survival of the fittest

Charles Darwin once famously wrote, “It is not the strongest  of the species that survives, not the most intelligent, but the  one most responsive to change.” Survival nowadays means  keeping up with a tidal wave of disruptive forces. To master  the disruptions that come with change, innovation seems to  be the answer. In a ‘evolve-or-die’ environment, businesses  aspire to adapt and innovate. Agility and a stimulating  company culture is key. Old-fashioned ways of development  and transformation are often too time consuming in times  of rapid change, which we have seen very vividly in the  past two years. Companies have to act and act fast. In  today’s fast-paced and hyper-competitive global industries,  organisations’ innovation fitness level makes or breaks their  survival, as only the fittest survive. The innovation aspiration  level of leaders plays a big role in keeping the innovation  muscles strong and nurturing continuous improvement.  Leaders who dream big and treat innovation as a priority  push their company one step ahead. Excellent examples  are John F. Kennedy’s bold aspiration to ‘go to the moon  in this decade’ and Steve Job’s encouragement to ‘think  differently.’ A daring vision can be a catalyst for exceptional  levels of innovation. How do companies effectively root  innovation in their processes and company culture to  be able to thrive? And is innovation really the holy grail  in surviving change, or is there another way to do this?