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Peter Drucker Forum: You Don’t Need Innovation Centers, You Need People with the Right Mindset

During the crisis period we have been facing for two years, from the coronavirus pandemic, war, inflation, and even recession, improving company performance more than ever depends on the more creative problem-solving of its employees. Therefore, it is time for organizations to seriously start teaching their people about innovation, concluded the round table on innovation held during the 14th Global Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna, in honor of the Austrian writer and management consultant of the same name.

Data shows that 80 percent of companies are not ready for innovation, but why is that? Annika Steiber, director of the Rendanheyi Silicon Valley Center, sincerely believes that when innovating themselves and their companies, strategies are not enough – it is necessary to have the right mindset. Companies that fundamentally change the world as we know it have innovation written in their ‘DNA’, believes Steiber, and creating a previously non-existent market is their main role.

– The problem with innovation is that there is never an impact analysis. I think we should demand much more from impact analysis, as part of corporate and social responsibility, and the government should regulate this – said Steiber.

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Annika Steiber

photo Global Peter Drucker Forum Linkedin

– Innovation is adding value to your customers. To gain new value, every part of your company must unite. You don’t need innovation centers; you only need people with the right mindset who are motivated to innovate – concluded Lalit Karwa, head of TCS PACE Europe.

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Lalit Karwa

photo Global Peter Drucker Forum Linkedin

Internal Entrepreneurship

As many as 70 percent of all company transformations fail, so the question arises of how to encourage changes and innovations that will succeed, rather than undermine the operations of organizations. Simone Ahuja, an expert in so-called intrapreneurship, or internal entrepreneurship in companies, believes that we must start with small and tangible changes in organizations when it comes to innovation. Since ‘internal entrepreneurs’ are familiar with the operations of organizations and already know how everything works, they are an excellent choice for initiating innovations.

– Internal entrepreneurs have a special superpower that often escapes higher management. If we are not solving the right problem, how will we initiate innovations? Intrapreneurs are the ones who know how to solve the right problem. To know how to solve the right problem, we must give intrapreneurs a chance – concluded Ahuja.

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Simone Ahuja

photo Global Peter Drucker Forum Linkedin

Philipp Herrmann, CEO of Bryck, agreed with her but noted that relying solely on internal innovations can be very risky. Therefore, he suggests a broader view of the entire ecosystem.

– Companies should understand that they need to build the superpower of the ecosystem – the ability to identify future winners, those who are just starting, and affective connections. Leaders must be players in the ecosystem outside their organizations, and those who seek this will be the winners – said Herrmann.

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Philipp Herrmann

photo Global Peter Drucker Forum Linkedin

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