#054 Theis Barenkopf Dinesen - Innovation as business growth enabler

The Oliver Schirach Show

Welcome Theis Barenkopf Dinesen to this episode were we go deep into the topic “Innovation as business growth enabler”

This is a more experimental episode were we left my standard questions and focus on Theis experience as a innovation facilitator and his experience from many industries, studies and jobs.

The structure of the interview looks as following:

1) Who is Theis:

• Educational background: Digital Design, Design Future, Business Administration
• Professional background: As an employee, consultant, startup/personal business owner and innovation facilitator
• His overall approach to innovation in a business context

2) What is innovation - in a business context

• Ideas are like horses - you need many to before you can choose the fastest
• It is more risky not to be innovative and take chances, than it is not doing it

Innovation/ideation:

• Is not a one-man-band, it’s a collaborating ensemble
• Is not a luxury, it's a necessity because the world is changing and customers are unholy bastards
• Is not confined to products and services, it can happen in many areas, from processes, costumer service to logistics, payment and customers experience
• Is a sliding scale, from super shallow (paint you product in a new colour) to infinitely deep (intergalactic space travel)
• Needs to have boundaries the same way as the rest of the organisation (regard it on equal terms with other organisational efforts)
• Needs to be a constant, not a one day event

3) Innovation as a strategic business development tool

• The innovative environment: Organisational innovation enabling as one of the key competences of top management
  • Stop just talking about:
  • A zero fail culture - live it
  • Tearing down silos - allow them to overflow
  • Being agile and change ready - and then hire next quarter accountants
• Cases on strategic briefs
  • LEGO: "A brick centred for girls age 6 to 12"
  • Newspaper from burning money to be profitable again
  • Trophy games: "Make more money (without spending more)”

4) Innovation as a employee development tool

• As a collaborator: Innovation needs to happen in an open and sharing environment with many competences present, being the perfect environment to make cross-organisational collaboration happen
• As a change-maker: Many people are afraid of change and will thus resist it. But bringing new product/services to the market and thus continue to be a relevant company is understandable for everybody, and changes happening because of that, are easier accepted throughout the whole organisation
• As a personnel developer: When employees get to show new sides of themselves, they feel better and you as an employer get to realise more of their value
• As an overall growth enabler: Be able to see and realise new opportunities

5 primary takeaways:

• An idea is just an idea - work you ass off on “THE Idea!”
• Innovation is about SHARING - NOT Protecting
• Let yourself be inspired from other areas than you core competence ground (art, business, departments, children…)
• Don’t shy away from aiming for the stars - you can always compromise later
• Don’t draw rockets - build rails

Reach out to Theis Barenkopf Dinesen:

Company Idea & daughters www.idda.dk

LinkedIn

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