The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to innovate at break-neck speeds. Those that didn’t, started on a rapid downhill trajectory that will not turn around just because employees are going back to the office. In fact, companies that are embracing remote cultures post-pandemic are reaping the benefits of continued innovation. How is remote work accelerating future of innovation? Different regions around the world have adapted differently to remote work. Trends in Africa are not comparable to those in Asia. However, we have gathered insights from recurring trends we are seeing globally.
What happened to the casual water cooler conversations that were purported to drive new products and services in companies worldwide? They are still there, and probably won’t ever disappear altogether. But – remote work is introducing a new dynamic that is changing the face of innovation, and here is how:
Unleashing the innovative power of introverts
If designed effectively, remote and asynchronous brainstorming sessions will give everyone’s ideas equal airtime. During in-person ideation sessions, extroverted and more spontaneous colleagues tend to steal the show, while more introverted colleagues will hesitate to go out of their way to share ideas that are only half-cooked.
In asynchronous ideation sessions where ideas are shared anonymously, people can contribute thoughts when they feel most open and creative without the fear of being judged for half-cooked ideas. Eventually, a supervisor can trace the ideation process and recognize colleagues for their contributions, but the initial stage of sharing is done in a way that does not discriminate against introverted team members.
Bringing together larger groups of people from more diverse backgrounds at the initial stages of idea generation
In the world of remote work, teams can invite relevant experts from all over the world and across any and all functional groups to join their ideation sessions without blinking. Teams are no longer constrained to exchanging only with people who work in their office, department or geographic vicinity. This level of flexibility exponentially boosts lateral thinking, which is critical in driving innovation.
Ironically creating more connected human and trust-driven innovation ecosystems
The remote working environment brings collaborators and colleagues into each other’s living rooms, connecting with each other’s pets, kids and favorite paintings. Employers traditionally went out of their way to create a special “office atmosphere” where employees had to act, speak and dress in a manner that was not always coherent with who they really were. Now, team members see each other in their own authentic environments and they get to know each other in an ecosystem that is more organically created rather than artificially curated. This level of sharing helps co-ideators build trust, unleashing more frank and unguarded exchanges.
We are always on the lookout for companies who are re-imagining the world of work and re-inventing the way we build together.
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