INNOVATION SPECIAL...INNOVATION A FUN JOB!

INNOVATION A FUN JOB! 

DO YOU THINK INNOVATION IS A VERY SERIOUS AND GRUELLING AFFAIR? A FEW INDUSTRY EXPERTS BEG TO DIFFER, AS THEY SHARE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FUN QUOTIENT BEHIND INNOVATION

I = SERIOUS FUN!
“Innovation happens throughout the lifecycle of the product and it is always serious fun. It is serious because innovation is about solving problems that help address customer needs. It is also fun as it is a challenge as well as a tremendous learning experience, when you are pushing yourself to accomplish what has never been done before. It is vital to have fun and enjoy oneself on this journey of innovation. For me, fun is about being completely engaged, totally committed and focused during the innovation phase of the product. It is also about encouraging positive vibes amongst the team members and sustaining high energy levels within the team. This not only enables great team work and collaboration, but also reflects in the kind of results that one achieves in the end. Ideating together, getting feedback and working together at each stage of the product development cycle keeps the fun element strong and also helps our team members bond with each other as well as with our customers. Innovation and big ideas originate from people who have a passion for what they do every day and keep their mind open to all kinds of possibilities.”
    - Anantha Sharma, director,
    engineering, Emerson Innovation
    Center
I = FUN IN-BUILT
“Innovation is not one phase or a part of product development - it is a continuous mode. It is a stage when you are questioning everything, not taking anything as given and trying to make connections that may not be routine. Fun is inbuilt in the process of innovation. You need that childlike curiosity to ask the most stupid of things and relook with a fresh vision and thought process. I believe that this is one reason why engineers and designers who are involved with innovation are always interested in life, and they themselves become very interesting people. They collect such fascinating stories of transformations and inspirations. I don't think it is possible to innovate without having fun. During an ‘I-mission’ exercise with a big group of engineers, I wanted the group to do a back-casting plan, this is when you visualise and foresee the future 10 years ahead and start planning backwards. One of the engineers came up with a back-casting roadmap and one of the major action points was removal of his boss from the post within the next three months. We all had a big laugh to hear that logic and how people and their team work drove innovation.”
    - Sudhir Sharma, CEO, INDI Design
I = CREATIVE FUN
“It is very important to make innovation exciting as well as fun to the innovators, even though it is a serious business for the organisation. Fun is a very essential element of innovation to keep the innovator’s creativity on a high. Being serious on the broad scale and having fun doing day-to-day tasks are essential to improve the quality of work and the person’s motivation level. It is very important to keep the fun element alive during innovation of the product as there would be many changes during the cycle of innovation of the product. It keeps the employees motivated to achieve the goal. Innovation platforms such as ‘junk yard wars’ where two teams racing to build a working machine out of existing resources, keep the fun element/excitement high and also teach employees how to use existing resources to achieve the goals. In essence, innovation is a serious job that has to be exciting during its execution and to keep people interested, it has to have a fun element attached to it.”
- Mahesh Sonawane, senior manager, R&D – medium voltage,
    Infrastructure & Cities Sector, Siemens Ltd.

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