Episode 491 - Future-Fit Innovation with Barbara Salopek

' Being creative means having a deep knowledge about anything that you do, because this helps you then to connect those things into new things.' Innovation. You can't sit through a corporate meeting without hearing the word. Everyone thinks they know what they mean by it, and most people are confident that it's someone else's responsibility. There's a department for that, right?  In fact, Barbara Salopek argues, innovation is a responsibility for every employee, whether they like it or not, because the deep knowledge required is distributed throughout the business;  the 'innovation muscle' has to be built both top down and bottom up throughout all three levels – individuals, teams and the entire organization. She also makes the case that innovation is far broader than most people think: not just shiny new product development (expensive) but also incremental internal process improvements (efficient). Building that kind of innovation culture takes long-term commitment, and it also demands that leaders pay attention to building psychological safety, not just brainstorming.  And if you're grappling with your own business book, you need to hear about Barbara's structured approach to conquering what can seem like an insurmountable task.