What if your entire organization was enabled to continuously innovate?

How many times did you hear or read the word innovation only today? Yes, it’s everywhere and yet it is still abstract for many of us – a buzzword. Innovation spares no one. It is critical for individuals and organizations alike. It is important for the CEO of a company as much as for the entrepreneur who is just getting started. Unfortunately, innovation is easier said than done and it requires a solid strategy to enable continuous and successful innovation in organizations, regardless of their size or industry.

That being said, in recent years with the rise of innovation methodologies and frameworks, enabling entire organizations to innovate from within has become a lot easier. And yet it was still considered a luxury rather than a necessity in many organizations – until the COVID-19 pandemic hit us in 2020.

Do we need a pandemic to show us that innovation is more than a ‘nice to have’?

No one expects a global pandemic to happen. However, some organizations seem to have been more prepared than others. Some have been more agile than others in finding ways to not only survive but thrive in these unprecedented times. Their secret is simple: they have an engaged, collaborative and innovate workforce with deeply rooted innovation capabilities, that turns challenges into opportunities.

And this trend of change and disruption won’t stop. With a rising needs for digital tools and processes, new technologies, new business models and new ways of working, we have to develop new skills to be able to thrive in this post-pandemic reality.

At the same time, only one-third of respondents of the 2020 McKinsey Survey “Beyond hiring: How companies are reskilling to address talent gaps” say that their companies are prepared to cope with the workforce disruptions resulting from technology and market trends.

Innovation skills are here to stay. Build and foster them now.

If you want to not only survive but thrive in this increasingly digital and complex world, you must invest in digital transformation. But you must also invest in enabling your workforce on the skills needed to make the most out of your digital transformation journey. I encourage you to create an innovative, collaborative and engaged workforce and foster an innovation culture.

Fostering an innovation mindset and related skills is key for both individuals and organizations to stay competitive. According to the 2020 Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum skills across jobs will continue to change in the next five years, leading to high skill gaps, and making re-skilling a strategic priority for individuals and organizations alike. Employers see skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, innovation as well as self-management such as active learning in increasing demand in future.

It’s time to get in the driver’s seat of your innovation journey!

Building on SAP’s strong history of innovation methodologies such as Design Thinking, we launched our innovation enablement and coaching service SAP Innovate to Win in order to support organizations and their teams with powerful innovation skills.

SAP Innovate to Win complements SAP’s innovative technologies with specific enablement services, designed to put SAP’s customers in the driver’s seat of their innovation journey. It supports customers, who are moving to the cloud, or who are undergoing digital transformations to build an innovation culture and adopt agile mindsets, that will enable them to unleash their full innovation potential. In addition, it helps organizations and their teams to be more engaged and collaborative whilst leveraging SAP’s technologies and withstand disruption – disruptions as intense and far-reaching as a global pandemic.

“It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.” B. C. Forbes

Make your company ready to drive successful innovation with SAP Innovate to Win. We are looking forward to helping you on this journey!

Learn more about SAP Innovate to Win

• We are keen to hear your feedback. Please comment below.
• SAP Innovate to Win is an innovation enablement and coaching service that blends proven frameworks like Design Thinking and Business Modeling, powerful technology and a global network of expert coaches to help organizations and their teams solve complex problems and get the confidence to innovate. Get in touch and start your innovation journey sapinnovatetowin@sap.com.’
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