Category: Innovation

Leading innovation culture requires diversity leadership

SEATTLE – AUGUST 2015 by Kristiina Hiukka

women devsWe live in the era of constant innovating. The saying “standing still means moving backwards” reflects the modern times. Trying to keep up with – or speeding past – the competition and fast-paced changes in the market place, even the most established companies are required to create fluidity, flexibility, and adaptability in their organizations. Business environments are moving to more porous boundaries of functions and positions, between the employees and customers, transparency of financials, and shared ownership of knowledge than ever before. There is also a deep understanding that for the new technologies to serve the market in the most opportune ways, they should be developed by a population as diverse as its users. Yet, this is not currently the case. Only Continue reading Leading innovation culture requires diversity leadership

Are innovators misunderstood?

Are innovators misunderstoodSEATTLE –  12 November 2013. By Kristiina Hiukka.

Jeff Bezos of Amazon must feel pretty strongly that being an innovator requires “a long-term willingness to be misunderstood,” because he speaks about it on several occasions. In interviews he has said that it’s important to hear people’s criticism and search within yourself about whether they are right, and, if they are, you should change what you are doing. However, “if they’re not right, if you really have conviction that they’re not right then you need to have that long term willingness to be misunderstood.”

Innovators have to believe in their inventions and their solutions even in the face of doubt and nay-sayers. Innovators’ logic is new and unfamiliar and naturally suspect. If they didn’t have the perseverance – and

Continue reading Are innovators misunderstood?