Any person, in any situation, can have an idea that revolutionizes the world and changes that which seemed unalterable. We all are aware of the need to adapt to an increasingly changing context, and that is what innovation is all about – about changing the rules of the game and building a new foundation on which to create a future that is yet unknown.
The question is: how do we apply this to our daily business? True innovation has to produce a positive effect on society, arising with the aim of changing the world, or at the very least, a part of it. In business, technology has been impacting all levels and plays a decisive role in innovation. Yet not in the sense of an area of a company, but rather as a transversal concept that permeates each department. In fact, when a business decides to set up an innovation department, or worse still, leave it in the hands of a single individual, innovation dies.
The biggest uncertainty surrounding any innovation is that you never know where a great idea is going to come from. Just ask the person who came up with the lollipop by attaching candy to a stick and calling it “Chupa Chups.” Great ideas are the brainchild of individuals, but teamwork is required to carry them out. We must promote an environment based on cooperation and knowledge sharing, with the aim of breaking down internal boundaries and encouraging open, collaborative innovation. And if we want to break the mould and think outside the box, we must break down silos, be creative and come up with what seemed impossible or unachievable.
The automotive sector is now facing major challenges, but the biggest one is how to make mobility friendlier, more efficient, more sustainable and safer. We are becoming more than just car makers; we are offering mobility to people, which in the end means freedom. This is a huge responsibility, and it is still too early to say what the future of mobility will be like. But one thing is certain, namely, that the automotive sector is going to play a key role in its conception.
The road to innovation offers endless possibilities. Just look at how an artist like Rosalía has taken the international music scene by storm by revolutionizing something as traditional as flamenco. How did she do it? With attitude. And that is exactly what innovation is – attitude
As published in TIME magazine
