On the Fast Company list of the world’s 50 most innovative companies of 2011, Apple ranks number 1. Then comes Twitter and Facebook, followed by Nissan, Groupon and Google. In that order. No surprises. They have all enabled an ecosystem of creativity that have redefined communication, transportation and retail. How? What is the secret?

How can entrepreneurs make it happen? More important: How can companies swim in uncertain waters of innovation and grow? Enric Bayó, from ACC1Ó, gave some hints about it in his presentation at BIZBarcelona. He underlined five key concepts: commited and strong leadership, balanced innovation model, identification of opportunities, risk and Open Innovation. He also distinguished investigation from innovation. “Ideas do not have any value until they turn into a reality”. There is a summary of his talk in L’Anella.

To go a little bit further on, above strategic clarity to create these new opportunities and avoid mediocrity and commoditization, entrepreneurs need patience. Creativity is a fickle thing an having an “innovation mindset” that enters every aspect of the business is not achieved with shortcuts. Managers need to constantly look at their part of the business and ask themselves “what are the barriers to being innovative and creative?”

Some questions might help: Is anybody asked about their ideas? Do staff know about the need for ideas and innovation? Are people rewarded for their ideas and contributions? Experienced innovators say that “organisations that truly invest in their people and understand the value of their ideas ensure that facilities, equipment, time and resources are organised to help foster ideas and innovations”.

No és el mateix manar que liderar. A aquestes alçades, la diferència és clara. I el que comporta en l’organització empresarial, també. Però, de vegades, encara s’ordena en lloc de delegar o conduir, encara es fa en lloc de deixar fer (sobretot si es de forma diferent), encara s’imposa en lloc de donar directrius. Per impaciència, per pressa, per estrès, per por o per desconeixement. Tot i les eines que existeixen per evitar-ho.

Al BIZBarcelona, José Carlos Duarte, consultor empresarial amb 20 anys d’experiència, en va donar set. Set claus per impulsar el lideratge dels professionals i directius dins de l’empresa que, tal com assenyalen a L’Anella, es poden resumir en dues directrius: “delegar i donar direcció” mitjançant una comunicació “específica, realista, rellevant i mesurable”.

Els que ho aconsegueixen, segons Patty Vogan, especialista en Coaching, tenen visió, passió i caràcter, saben prendre decisions de forma ràpida, compromesa i analítica, i saben construir equip. A més, es coneixen bé i tenen capacitat per tenir cura de la gent. A la Universitat de Santa Clara (Estats Units), hi afegeixen que són “oberts, honestos, competents, directes, inspiradors, intel·ligents, imaginatius i valents.” S’hi podrien afegir més trets, però parafrasejant a Marc Aureli, més que perdre’s en arguments per descobrir les qualitats d’un bon líder, és millor concentrar-se en ser-ho. Simplement.

“Inspirational leadership makes innovation work”

Highlights

• Innovation travels from one place to another.
• The spirit is to create something that will endure.
• Innovation is a hot topic today.
• Innovation is the only way we are going out of recession.
• If you want new ideas you have to be open to all kind of ideas.

Imágenes exteriores generales y sesión de networking con emprendedores e inversores from Hit Barcelona on Vimeo.

There are 5 lessons essential to innovation, called “The 5 Fs”

1st: Focus

• They should be highly focused, but not focused on their business portfolio.
• They should be focused in a mission that unites the entire company for innovation.

2nd: Flexible

• Flexibility means to be flexible with respect to rules and processes. Every company needs to have the flexibility to take their own course separate from the rules that had been established.
• The lack of flexibility kills innovation more than anything else.
• Without flexlibility there is no innovation.
• Before becoming the right idea is someone’s crazy idea competing.
• If an idea looks really good means that we understand it, which in turn means it’s not so innovative.

3rd: Fast

• Companies should not bound to large hierarchys.
• “We don’t want boureaucracy anymore”.
• Companies should be more organized around projects than around bosses.
• You have to move fast because of the flexibility. Any team has a focus, every team that is flexible can move quickly, then they start to operate like companies, without burocracy.
• Everyone can and should self-organize.
• If you want to move fast you want everyone on your company to volunteer.

4th: Friendly

• It stands for collaboration.
• In order to success people have to enlight partnerships, internal and external.
• CEOs have to suspend their egos.
• Any company willing to learn from its parters is gonna get the best.

5th: Fun

• If it’s not fun to go through demands of innovation, nobody’s gonna do it.
• If the organizational culture doesn’t make it fun, it won’t succeed. It’s motivation that makes work fun.

Other highlights:

• Kanter’s Law: any project can look like a failiure in the middle. Specially when the ideas are very new. Persisting and persevering is the only way to get through it.
• One of the secrets of innovation is innovators have more success but also more failure, and that is just because they tried more.
• Every innovation often requires secondary innovations to get the primary innovation off the ground: innovation is also important in the processes and not just in the product.
• Innovation never drops itself in.
• People won’t let business stay without values.
• The thinking should be “I have two jobs: one at .. and the other to save the world”.
• ”Be the change that you want to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi.

Extract by Josep Oriol Ayats and Guillem Mateos.