Innovation Is Job #1 On Day #2 Of RSPA INSPIRE 2016
By Jim Roddy, VP of Marketing, RSPA
“Innovation” was one of the trending words at NRF’s Big Show a couple weeks ago and I’m hearing it over and over again at RSPA INSPIRE 2016. The conference for executives in the retail IT channel is taking place at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in San Diego, CA.
Dr. Robert Bies kicked off the second day of education today talking about the forces for innovation and the forces against innovation inside an organization. With the help of the 100+ channel executives in attendance, Bies (pronounced “beez”) developed a list of those forces:
- Driving forces: competition, customer demand, regulation, goals, younger employees, and high-initiative employees.
- Restraining forces: budgets, your supply chain, resistant employees, human nature, being “too busy”, and disagreement among the group on the definition of what is innovative.
Bies next shared this W. Edwards Deming quote, which is quite apropos for the retail channel which has been weathering rapid change that has put some resellers out of business: “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”
For the rest of the morning, Bies focused on sparking innovation through the only two means possible: “You either add more driving forces or remove more restraining forces,” he said.
After watching a video about product design company IDEO and the company’s disciplined approach to innovation, INSPIRE attendees and Bies collaborated again to compile a list of attributes of a culture of innovation:
- cooperation
- communication
- no egos
- open-minded
- commitment to a common goal
- enjoy being at work
- all ideas are acknowledged
- gather data before concluding on an idea
I immediately saw how that list applies to solution provider organizations. If there were any doubters in the crowd, Bies addressed them by saying, “You might be thinking, ‘But they’re a product design company.’ I submit to you that you are all in that same space.”
Bies then detailed five key actions that will build a culture of innovation:
1. Recruit the “right” people: Bies defined the “right” people for an innovative culture as diverse, passionate, and curious. But Bies warned that their curiosity and drive must be nurtured. “If they don’t feel challenged they move on,” he said.
2. Send signals that innovation is a key priority: “As leaders, you are signal senders,” said Bies who identified five areas where the loudest signals are sent:
- Budgets: “Where do you invest your resources? Are you allocating for development?” Bies asked. “And don’t say you don’t have money in the budget. There’s always money in the budget. You just have to choose to allocate it for innovation.”
- Calendars: “Where you spend your time signals your priorities. Can you spend 30 minutes a week brainstorming with your team? Of course you can – if it’s a priority.”
- Metrics: “If it’s a priority, measure it.”
- Questions: Bies introduced the concept of “constructive impatience” to help create urgency around innovation. Bies said the overarching mindset is “We are doing very well, but we can do better.” Have a focus on continual improvement. Specific questions channel executives can ask their employees include “What did you improve yesterday?” and “What are two things you learned new from a customer last week?” To customers you can ask, “What are two things we could change about our product or service that would make you happier?” (Editor’s note: I’ve always liked the ginormous acronym WCWBDB4U? which stands for “What can we be doing better for you?”)
- Modeling: No, we’re not talking about being a runway model. This version of modeling is all about leading by example. “If you want people to be collaborative, you need to be collaborative,” Bies said.
3. Think big but start small: Experiment with trial periods and pilot projects.
4. Strive for continual innovation, not instant perfection: Bies said, “Focus on progress, not perfection. It’s direction, not distance. If you have the right direction, the distance will take care of itself.”
5. Reward your employees for creativity: “Be sure to reward for the incremental changes, not just the wild and crazy innovations,” Bies said. “And reward the team, not just an individual. Almost all innovation that occurs is a collaborative effort. The team is the hero.”
INSPIRE 2016, the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) conference for thought leaders in retail technology, is being held January 31 to February 3, 2016, at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in San Diego, CA. For more information, go to www.BSMinfo.com/go/InsideRSPA.
Read More About INSPIRE 2016