Innovation is the ability to stand back, look at the bigger picture and encounter and recognize opportunities. It usually refers to renewing, changing or creating more effective processes, products or methods.
It is difficult to quantify the benefits of design-led innovation and defining this is one of the biggest challenges in the commercial environment.
The inclusion of innovation is taking a different approach to design: have a number of projects on the go at any one time, and expect that some will work and some will not.
Read on to find out how our journey started and how it has structured the way we work today.
Key to Innovation
5 Keys to Create Cultures of Innovation
- Spot opportunities - be able to see opportunities that are fruitful
- Collective creativity - work with others
- Leadership - lead in that market, create a product that is bigger, better and more of a success. Take ownership of it.
- Fail fast - Prototype quickly to find the right solution and fast. Learn from the failures to succeed in the future.
- Embed - Involve the whole team, create an environment that allows innovation to become a part of day to day business.
Space
An important tool for innovation is space for reflection. Space in terms of both physical and mental. A physical space away from the normal working environment which allows you to think differently. A mental space where there is time and creative freedom to understand, adapt and grow the business into today's fast markets.
How to Innovate
We are Innovators
In 2010 Scott and Fyfe took part in an innovation-led project with Glasgow School of Art that focused on developing and learning new creative based skills. These skill sets could then be used throughout the organisation to help increase idea generation and creative thinking.
These skill sets are still used daily within our entire workforce and a clear cultural change has taken place as a result. Staff members have been given the platform and tools to express themselves and idea generation can now flourish.
To discover the tools we used please download our toolkit.
If you would like to find out more or come in for a chat please get in touch.
Education Connections
Throughout our journey we have hosted events and visits from a range of companies / educational organisations / public agencies involved in economic development, enterprise, innovation and investment in business. We have worked on projects with Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design students and Glasgow School of Art giving the students an opportunity to work alongside and understand an industry partner to gather new skills and experiences. We have hosted tours for St. Andrews and Stirling Universities showing them how our business operates and how we work together as a team. We are keen to learn from others, two-way education and communication being at the heart of each visit.
Diversity through Internships and Graduate recruitment
Scott & Fyfe invests heavily in recruitment of future leaders by taking on interns (paid) from a broad range of disciplines and cultures e.g. design graduates from Duncan of Jordanstone, a textile student from Netherlands, an accountancy graduate from Mongolia, a marketing graduate from Pakistan. The team has been further strengthened by the hiring of graduates from this temporary internship route.
Youth training
Scott & Fyfe have been involved in a programme that hires unemployed young people, providing initial assistance with employability skills and work experience, which can lead to employment for successful candidates.
Creating Cultures of Innovation (CCOI)
Innovation in Products
Central to our new innovation-led strategy is a revolutionised product development process, instituted in cooperation with the Glasgow School of Art, as part of our drive for the creation and embedding of a culture of innovation.
This 18 month programme in 2010 allowed a cross section of the Scott & Fyfe team to learn innovative tools to develop new ideas effectively, strategically and with purpose. These tools allowed us to enter new markets quickly, diversifying our market coverage and approach. The tools and techniques rippled throughout the business and are now in every day use.
The evolution of our product development via a Double Diamond drives an idea all the way from initial field research, development, testing to successful launch in as quick a timeframe as possible at the lowest commercially feasible cost practicable.
We adopt the fail fast approach; failing faster in order to succeed quicker, whilst at the same time learning from our mistakes. Our prototyping system reflects this approach with achieving a prototype a day in 2013. We believe if we prototype faster we can succeed or fail quicker. These failures are used as stepping-stones to the right solution for the future.
Have a look at our innovation toolkit to find out about our tools.
Read the book about our "Creating Cultures of Innovation" project with GSA to find out more about the project.
Ideation
The PODS allow us to work in an environment that creates dedicated space and an environment that stems new ideas. These areas are away from the day-to-day working.
The Ideation POD is where space is vital. If we have an idea or opportunity to get into a new market the Ideation POD is where this is born. The teams who work in this POD are a mix of colleagues who use their expertise to explore the idea further.
The tools adapted from Glasgow School of Art allow the team to get a wide angled view of the concept to discover if it would be successful and the route to market. The relevant POD leader is then given the responsibility of looking after the project and taking it to market.
