I am writing this in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory as the 47th President of the United States of America. I also write this in a period when every leader has been told that chaos is the new normal. That the world moved from just being a VUCA world to a BANI world. BANI in the sense that it’s now all Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear and Incomprehensible. In this BANI world, everyone seeks to know what the future holds.
Leaders around the world, company executives are trying to find answers to that one question – What does the future hold? The only way to know what the future holds is through innovation. And not just innovation but disruptive innovation. It’s either you’re disrupting or you’re getting disrupted. We are living in times when one innovation can render a whole industry redundant. Everything is changing, and it’s changing pretty first.
You’re either a changemaker or you’re relegated to playing catch-up. It’s the worst position a company can find itself in, the position of playing catch-up. I argue that every company today must have an Innovation Business Unit or section. Gone are the days when Innovation could get nested within another department. Some organizations used to have Marketing and Innovations department. But that’s thinking so narrowly about Innovation. Innovation must be a standalone section linking through all the other sections and having a direct reporting line to the CEO or Managing Director.
Where will Growth come from? I say, it will come from this Innovation Department. Innovation is what will drive the next set of growth in your organization. The only way to guarantee the future of your organization is through this innovation department. Innovate and survive, do nothing and you can bid the future farewell. How will your company secure its position? It’s through this Innovation arm.
For this reason, Ortega Group aka O.G is now positioned as an Innovation and Strategy Firm. Innovation and Strategy is a new industry, an eco-system that’s emerging. It’s previously been nested within Technology, but I argue that it’s a stand-alone ecosystem. I welcome you all to this new world of Innovation and Strategy aka I&S. Let’s figure out the future together.