Why work with artists and creative professionals for innovation processes, agility and organisational change?
The artistic disciplines have a high concentration of human-centric innovation potential. Human-centric innovation can underpin all kinds of innovation. This innovation potential is linked to the skills that these disciplines and sectors possess and is based on the creative process. Other sectors are screaming out for this knowledge. However, these types of knowledge and skills are rarely seen as being transferrable to other sectors.
The artist can do the same things that a communication or human resources department can do in an organisation. The artist adds perspectives and comes with ideas and ways of doing that are often surprising and beneficial for companies. This is because of the differences in business culture and in the culture of the arts sector; it is about values, norms, what is “accepted” and ways of being. The artist can often be seen as more neutral and independent and thus is often good at creating trust.
Artists and designers daily live the creative process. Without creative process and exploration the arts sectors would not exist, this is the culture these sectors evolve around. This is profoundly different from business culture.
The skills that are wanted today ‘in the 4th industrial revolution’ (or in the innovation economy) are skills that are close to artists and creators, such as, abstract reasoning, systems thinking, collaboration, and ability to experiment, empathy, and creativity.
We offer out-of-the-box perceptions for agility, organisational change and innovation processes. We help you to get perspective on your activity.
Agreements on innovation
In May 2018 we created the panel “Creativity at the heart of businesses, a key to success? at European Business Summit. The participants were leaders from European networks and companies; Thomas Van Halewyck, CEO and founder BUNDL, innovation agency, Belgium, Javier Echarri, CEO, EBN Innovation network (supports the development and growth of innovative entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs), Frederique Paccagnella, Director at Excel Careers and Excel Interim (specialists in human resources, recruitment agency), Zeldah Schrama, innovation consultant, Connect Africa (creates smart and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems that enable businesses in the African continent), Bartholomeus Henri Van de Velde, change management expert and orchestra director, ifa laboratory. They made a couple of agreements about the human centric innovation process :
- Risk taking (can of course be measured) has to be implemented in the DNA of the company culture.
- People. You work with and for people. People’s relations. People are the basics for all innovation.
- Education. Informal or formal…Knowledge…You have to know your field, team, company, product…in order to innovate.
- Why do you want to innovate? What is driving you? Is it for your image (whose image?) or are there real needs and thought through reasons behind?
References
The team of ifa laboratory have experience from several collaborations with many companies and contexts, i.e; iGretec, BIO Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries, European Business Summit, De Lijn, Air Liquide, ING, Carrefour, JC Decaux…