Softtek, like many other companies, operates within the
boundaries of our limitations. Simply, it means that we use our core
capabilities and structures to maximize profits.
Limitations include knowledge, talent pool, existing
capabilities, past successes and learning, and access to markets or industries. To step outside these sets of limitations
requires concerted strategy from management, deep insight of new markets and
challenges, and often, innovation or acquisitions. Books such as the Innovator’s Dilemma and other works of Clayton M. Christensen have framed
our strategies to driving innovation within Softtek.
We introduced an innovation quadrant to group and qualify
the ideas flowing through Innoventures.
The objective of the quadrant is to measure sustainable, disruptive
innovation vis-à-vis our execution capabilities and strategies. The right quadrants reflect deep-rooted,
strategic innovation; the left quadrants reflect responsive innovation to known
challenges.
One of a kind ideas
directly address a specific problem, customer or operations related – usually,
an inventive development effort that results in a clear ROI and value. Sometimes, innovations in this category are
particularly helpful to bring easy savings or profits.
Low Hanging Fruits
address recognizable, everyday hurdles across our customers or in the
industries in which we operate. Innovation
here is not disruptive, but is quickly deployed to and realized by existing
customers.
Visionary ideas are
those that we aspire to deliver, but lack the execution know-how. These ideas are closely aligned with the
goals and vision of the company. Often,
ideas in this category reflect ultimate goals and not specific, actionable initiatives.
Outperformers’ ideas
maximize innovation by extending Softtek’s core capabilities and knowledge to
new markets, new solutions, and are possibly disruptive. These ideas, while most sustainable and
disruptive in the long term, are also challenging and require a culture of
continuous innovation.
For now, most of our executable ideas gravitate towards the
left hand quadrants; most of our aspirations (general aim without an executable
action plan) favor the right hand quadrants.
Not surprising. Generating ideas
for the left hand quadrants are easy - associates identify noticeable gaps in
our services or operations - provide solutions to address the gap - and derive,
at times complex, resolutions.
Innoventure’s purpose
is defined by its ability to migrate innovation from the transitory beneficial
(left quadrants) to the long term sustainable (right quadrants).
In the past few months, in the process of launching an
innovation center for Softtek, we have uncovered several true margins in terms
of how much and how fast we can innovate.
We fear the innate tendency to lean towards the more ‘sure-shot’
innovation projects; these are projects with high levels of comfort factor with
known customers and environments.
However, the culture to innovate starts with initial
success. Easy innovation, bringing quick
rewards, hopefully starts a chain process of engaging in deliberate and
rewarding innovation. And, here’s the
goal – to be able to transfer our skills to several facets of our growth and innovate
for something bigger – something with a bigger purpose. We obviously have a ways to go, and we’ll
continue to use this quadrant to unfold our story…