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?