Innovation is the practice of empathy. That’s why the best ideas come from the ground up.
Here’s another inescapable reality: your business must break convention to thrive over the long haul.
That sounds like the usual hyperbole, doesn’t it? But, it’s irrevocably true that when trying to understand (and solve) the root of a challenge plaguing an entire industry, the usual marketing research methods won’t suffice. You’ll only see the same things as everyone else.
Indeed, the best breakthroughs occur when your employees innovate.
It’s typically wise to start with customers. But, to identify needs on an ongoing basis, it’s often better to tap into customer-facing employees as a source of continuing insight. That necessitates teaching front line employees not only why observation is important, but also how to study customers and record breakthrough observations and ideas. That’s a sure way to foster a culture of innovation.
“I highly recommend Charles’s work. He provides incredible leadership and brings unparalleled insight to his clients.”
How We Build Innovation Platforms
Actuate helps clients build innovation platforms that dig deep to uncover what people really do and why they do it. Our innovation process is built around three steps that bring businesses as close as possible to people and their lives.
Sense: We believe that empowering employees to innovate on the job is crucial. After all, customer-facing employees offer a wealth of insights into customers. Moreover, customer- facing employees are the key vehicle for service delivery. Everything hinges on what your employees do and the mindset they’re in when they do it. The imperative is to give employees the skills, and the permission, to sense problems and identify opportunities is invaluable.
Create: Empowering employees to drive the innovation process will not only generate the most practical ideas, but it will build the engagement and motivation necessary to drive the next evolution of product and experience initiatives.
Evolve: Innovation can’t just be some far removed, abstract process. It has to be embedded in the culture because great ideas can prompt considerable change. And few employees will bear the brunt of those changes more than those in the trenches.
Let’s talk a little bit about our offerings and the investment our work necessitates.