Innovation is no longer an option in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape – it’s essential for success and survival…
The digital age has created a hyper-connected world, where the pace of technological change we’re experiencing is unprecedented and is revolutionizing how businesses operate globally. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are reshaping industries. Data-driven insights are becoming increasingly valuable for decision-making and improving efficiencies.
Companies that embrace innovation and continuously seek new opportunities to meet customer expectations and address global challenges are better positioned to thrive in this ever-changing world.
Those that fail to innovate, risk falling behind or becoming obsolete as competitors leverage these advancements to gain a competitive edge. The business landscape is littered with poignant examples of once-upon-a-time industry giants, that now serve as cautionary tales of what can happen when a company fails to adapt in the face of technological change.
But how do you go about creating a culture of innovation in your business?
How we do it at WeFi
As a leading global provider of IT finance solutions, WeFi helps vendors and channel partners get the most from their working capital. Our team is made up of a seasoned and distinctive combination of tech and finance minds – people with decades of experience; which makes our collective understanding of the channel finance industry as good as it gets.
It’s this understanding that led to the development of our proprietary, market-leading, cloud-based platform, izzi, which brings powerful efficiencies to the channel finance lifecycle. We’ve put millions of transactions through izzi already and it’s not even five years old. It’s a platform that scales and is operationally very efficient – and we continue to add new features and functions to it, so it’s able to solve what’s happening out there in the market.
It’s with this forward-thinking approach to constant expansion and evolution that we also came to the realisation that the operational side of our tech team wasn’t going to be able to look at developing more ‘out the box’ products or services when they’re essentially there now to make sure that izzi remains rock solid.
So we established a dedicated Innovation Hub, in an entirely separate office (and time zone), with a team of experts, all of whom possess specific skillsets and the mandate to innovate. They’re not drawn into day-to-day operational issues; they’re not stretched this way or that; they’re there to pull the trigger on the next great idea and to plot where to after that.
Anytime anyone comes up with something interesting, it gets shared. The team structure and collective psychology at WeFi is that this is everyone’s business; that my success is your success and vice versa. You come here to add value.
That’s why we’re never short of ideas; we have everyone’s buy-in. Every idea that comes in is heard and looked at by our Innovation Board. Then we either say ‘maybe not now, but later’ or ‘yes, let’s do it.’
We’re both agile and structured in our approach and response to the solutions we choose to explore. It depends largely on strategic value and whether or not we’re looking at a sustainable innovation.
What this means is that the innovation ultimately has to pay for itself and add measurable business value. So we have a methodology of prioritizing projects relative to their strategic importance and obviously, commercial upside.
At WeFi, we view innovation as a means to reshape traditional business models, offer unique value propositions, deliver exceptional customer experiences and capture market share.
We’re always looking for new ways to create value for our customers and stakeholders, while also building a strong and sustainable foundation for the future.
Innovation is simply in our DNA.
Practical strategies for fostering a culture of innovation
Looking at the ways we embrace innovation at WeFi, we offer these insights to make it a continuous and ingrained part of your business too:
· Leadership support: Innovation starts at the top. Leaders must champion innovation, allocate resources and actively participate in the process. When employees see that innovation is a priority for leadership, they’re more likely to embrace it.
· Open communication:
Encourage open and honest communication within your organization. Employees should feel comfortable sharing ideas – even if they’re unconventional or risky. Create platforms and opportunities for idea-sharing and feedback.
· Reward and recognize:
Acknowledge and celebrate innovative efforts and breakthroughs, as this will show your employees that their creativity and input is valued.
· Diversity and inclusion:
Encourage diversity and inclusion in your workforce to foster innovation. Different backgrounds and experiences can lead to unique insights, perspectives and solutions.
· Continuous learning:
Invest in ongoing training and development for your employees. Encourage them to stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies. Provide opportunities for skills-building and knowledge-sharing.
· Fail forward:
Understand that not all innovations will succeed and that’s okay. Encourage a mindset where failure is seen as a valuable learning experience, as well as an opportunity to extract insights that can inform future efforts.
· Set clear goals:
Define clear innovation goals and objectives. These should align with your overall business strategy. Having a roadmap helps employees understand the direction and purpose of their innovation efforts.
· Feedback loops:
Establish feedback mechanisms to evaluate the impact of innovations. Regularly assess whether the implemented innovations are achieving their intended outcomes and make adjustments as needed.
For more information please contact us here.
