Innovation in South Africa

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Kreiner on June 15, 2009 at 9:15pm

Hi Jan.
Given your line of work, shouldn't you be offering an answer? How many different measuring sticks are there and how effective would any of these be at providing any sort of answer?

We are probably not innovative in areas where it counts when measured against other countries, yet we appear to compete well as criminals. I've come across amazing cases of fraud and corruption, genius at work, matched only by what I experienced when I worked on a pig farm.

Maybe the question hangs on the 'who' that empowers innovation.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Beeton on June 15, 2009 at 10:29pm

Yes I have my views but I would like to get a discussion going and hear others' views too. I would like to think we are more positively innovative than our level of ingenius crime!! Still, if we could turn around that negative innovation energy also, we could perhaps steam ahead, together with all the positive innovation? How could we do that? anyone got any ideas?

South Africans are also resilient - part of that resilience I think is that we make a plan when one needs making ( boer maak a plan?) - what does anyone think?

Anthony Kreiner said:

Hi Jan.
Given your line of work, shouldn't you be offering an answer? How many different measuring sticks are there and how effective would any of these be at providing any sort of answer?

We are probably not innovative in areas where it counts when measured against other countries, yet we appear to compete well as criminals. I've come across amazing cases of fraud and corruption, genius at work, matched only by what I experienced when I worked on a pig farm.

Maybe the question hangs on the 'who' that empowers innovation.

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Permalink Reply by Des Squire on June 18, 2009 at 8:36am

I read somewhere recently that “Culture is the playing field of innovation”

Innovation is in essence a means of creating value for customers. It is a means of developing a “lofty vision”. It is a means of fulfilling dreams and aspirations.

When this happens in a business environment the company must be open to ideas and be “fertile ground” for the seeds of ideas to grow.

A company, an environment or an individual that is empowering and flexible will welcome ideas and permit the taking of risks. Such a company, individual or environment will celebrate potential success.

Creating such a climate is the biggest challenge facing all companies and community environments.

Developing an innovative culture hinges on four pillars

 Leadership
Leaders must become the role models and must want to, and be capable of, seeing the future possibilities
 People
Nothing happens without people and if given the opportunity they are and are capable of being extremely innovative.
 Basic Values
Basis values such as learning, commitment, inclusiveness, individual ability and need to contribute are the essential attributes that lead to innovation. These are the foundation and backbone of companies. To what extent however do we as leaders and managers cultivate them?????
 Innovation values
Over and above basic values there are “wants and driving factors” that turn the ordinary into the extraordinary and the mundane into the compelling. These values include Intuitive thinking, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of choice and synergy. It is these values if cultivated that will bring out the magic.

Opportunity does not just "come along" - it is there all the time - we just have to see it.

While it's probably impossible to compute the exact percentage of innovative ideas that fail the reasons for failure come down to 10 common causes. These are

 Not creating a culture that supports innovation
 Not getting buy-in and ownership from business unit managers
 Not having a widely understood process
 Not allocating resources to the process
 Not tying projects to company strategy
 Not spending enough time and energy on the fuzzy front-end
 Not building sufficient diversity into the process
 Not developing criteria in advance
 Not training and coaching innovation teams
 Not having an idea management system

Des Squire – 082 800 9057 – dsquire@amsi.co.za

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Permalink Reply by Jan Beeton on July 3, 2009 at 1:20pm

So on these criteria- do you think South Africa is an innovative nation?

Des Squire said:

I read somewhere recently that “Culture is the playing field of innovation”

Innovation is in essence a means of creating value for customers. It is a means of developing a “lofty vision”. It is a means of fulfilling dreams and aspirations.

When this happens in a business environment the company must be open to ideas and be “fertile ground” for the seeds of ideas to grow.

A company, an environment or an individual that is empowering and flexible will welcome ideas and permit the taking of risks. Such a company, individual or environment will celebrate potential success.

Creating such a climate is the biggest challenge facing all companies and community environments.

Developing an innovative culture hinges on four pillars

 Leadership
Leaders must become the role models and must want to, and be capable of, seeing the future possibilities
 People
Nothing happens without people and if given the opportunity they are and are capable of being extremely innovative.
 Basic Values
Basis values such as learning, commitment, inclusiveness, individual ability and need to contribute are the essential attributes that lead to innovation. These are the foundation and backbone of companies. To what extent however do we as leaders and managers cultivate them?????
 Innovation values
Over and above basic values there are “wants and driving factors” that turn the ordinary into the extraordinary and the mundane into the compelling. These values include Intuitive thinking, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of choice and synergy. It is these values if cultivated that will bring out the magic.

Opportunity does not just "come along" - it is there all the time - we just have to see it.

While it's probably impossible to compute the exact percentage of innovative ideas that fail the reasons for failure come down to 10 common causes. These are

 Not creating a culture that supports innovation
 Not getting buy-in and ownership from business unit managers
 Not having a widely understood process
 Not allocating resources to the process
 Not tying projects to company strategy
 Not spending enough time and energy on the fuzzy front-end
 Not building sufficient diversity into the process
 Not developing criteria in advance
 Not training and coaching innovation teams
 Not having an idea management system

Des Squire –                082 800 9057         – dsquire@amsi.co.za

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