FREE Innovation-Leadership

The direction to innovation is a decision!  And it´s a second strategic decision to be either the active Innovation Leader or wait passively to become the next one in the category of the Fast Followership.

BMW decided to be the active Innovation Leader with the i3 Model.  A Fast Follower needs a leader, a N° 1 in the market.  It´s a passive position and also a decision – against innovation in first place.  A courageous strong company which owns the luxury to invest approx. close to 2 Billion EURs on such a project is the active leader.  And:  success isn´t guaranteed.

In 2013 about 6,000 cars were newly registered on German streets.  How did BMW start with this decision?

BMW-boss Norbert Reithofer thought about such project already in 2007, concentrating on the change of climate, the social change of values and the rising oil price.  His best engineer Ulrich Kranz received his own team, a secret weapon called “carbon” and the relevant freedom he needed to not be stopped by the preserver-troop within the traditional company.

This team received the important freedom and developed the tempo of a speedboat.  To allow this you need to be a strong decider, backed-up with the relevant knowledge and education.  It´s a fact and rule that successful companies have to manage the clearance for action, they also have to demand and promote action for innovation from their staff.  Nothing happens out of the blue!  It all starts with a market trend and the matching idea to go for a solution.

Investments into the own company is one big piece for this move…..

All in all it takes the following “high five” factors to be a strong innovator on your market: 

• clearance
• courage
• investments
• motivated employees
• willingness for transformation

The ability to compete also needs a systemic frame:  a new science rule says 30% of innovation will be carried by the personalities of the staff and 70% must be delivered by a systemic frame:  develope an innovation-strategy by strong cooperation, deliver a culture of innovation, get the support-factors by the HR Dept. and obey certain innovation-life-cycles.

Add this to the “high five”-points above and you´re in first row!                                                            

BE A DECISION MAKER.  BE OUTSTANDING.

rita jaskolla – Leadership Architect –

 

 

(BMW–facts from the article: “Lernen von den Besten” / “Learn from the Best” by Daniel Schleidt)