By Antônio Carlos Teixeira Álvares, José Carlos Barbieri
Innovations are present in all human activities and play a
fundamental role for companies and society. To consider itself
innovative, a company should put "innovation as a strategic
objective", which is the core of the book, especially when it
brings to light the concept of Horizontal Innovation. This
expression was born in debates within the scope of FIESP,
developing as a counterpoint to hierarchical innovation processes.
In this new model "decisions are close to the generators of ideas
and of the executors of its implementation". In short, "it is the
process of democratization of innovation".
We are a company specialized in the management of innovation culture, coordinated by
Antonio Carlos Teixeira Álvares, professor, entrepreneur and specialist in high-performance programs that focus on creating and gathering ideas.
There is a widespread notion that an organization needs a lot of money invested in R&D to be innovative. That's a myth.
We believe that the most fundamental condition for a company to be innovative is to have a strong innovation culture where employees are directly involved at all levels, from the general to the foot soldier.
Therefore, it is necessary that the company's internal culture fosters what is known as Internal Innovative Environment.
The internal development of innovation can be achieved through the implementation of high-performance systems that generate and gather ideas from all employees. This is ACTAPAR's proposal.
How we do it
ACTAPAR has a strong team of professionals specialized in innovation culture to design and implement high-performance systems to capture ideas through change and/or adaptation by the client organization.
On the other hand, a process of change and/or adaptation of the company's culture must count on the involvement of high-ranking individuals inside the company, especially that of CEOs.
Thus, the first phase of the project consists of conceptual lectures given to the company's leadership, informing them about the different types of systems for generating and capturing ideas and how a high-performance system in generating and capturing ideas boosts the internal innovation culture, by favoring the creation of the Internal Innovative Environment.
Once the phase of conceptualization lectures for the leadership is finished, the project carries on with the following phases:
Environment Analysis, where individual interviews are carried out with all mid-level leaders of the organization, particularly front-line supervisors.
Raising awareness of the leaders through collective and individual training on expectations, postures, and importance of the project.
Pilot Test – in companies with more than 50 employees an area is chosen to test the project of generation and capture of ideas.
Post-Implementation Consultancy – consists mainly of training in the use of the system aimed at all company employees and leaders.
Who we do it for
The first tactic for dealing with crises is usually cost reduction (doing more with less), which, although necessary, has a limit that, when exceeded, exhausts the company.
Practice has shown that the winning companies are those that offer something special and valuable to the market, and this can only be achieved through innovation. Therefore, the incessant search for innovation has been pursued as a long-term strategy to increase competitiveness.
Because of this, many CEOs have chosen innovations, especially radical ones, as a strategy. On the other hand, the myth that radical innovations require high investments in R&D has led many organizations away from the search for strategic innovation.
But there are exceptions – CEOs who believe that innovation is dependent on an internal culture, in which they are correct. An innovative organization (one that practices innovation in a systematic way) has a special culture, which includes, among other characteristics, tolerance for well-intentioned mistakes and the freedom to conceive ideas.
What is interesting is that such a culture generates a complex environment that favors creativity. This innovative environment (Internal Innovative Environment) produces many innovations, most of them small or incremental, but sometimes radical innovations as well.
Thus, the construction of a company's innovation culture (Internal Innovative Environment) can be boosted with a high-end system for generating and capturing ideas.
Some leaders have noticed this, but they find many challeges as to how to implement such a system, generally making the same mistake in the form of the worn-out suggestion box systems, created at the end of the 19th century.
ACTAPAR believes to have the solution for this. As such, we help companies whose leadership believes in innovation coming from all employees of the organization, but who need specialized advice to create a high-performance system to generate and capture ideas.
Our methodology
Conceptual lectures for leaderships
Lectures given to the Company's leadership addressing the most common types of systems for generating and capturing ideas, and how a high-performance system drives the internal innovation culture by favoring the creation of the Internal Innovative Environment, and the advantages of the concept of small ideas in the search for innovation from all people in the organization, from the general to the private.
Individual interviews to measure awareness of the scope, benefits, and expectations that a high-performing idea management program can bring to the company.
Raising awareness of leadership
Individual and group training with leadership on expectations, attitudes, importance of the project, concepts, types of ideas, how to motivate staff, return of success, among other pertinent topics.
Pilot Test Implementation
Small-scale testing of the idea system before it is extended to the entire organization. In organizations with less than 50 people, the pilot test involves everyone, however, a time for experimentation and learning is defined after the idea system is implemented, but before it is considered “officially” launched.
Post-Implantation Consulting
System usage training for all company employees and leaders.
Specific training for senior management about demands and performance monitoring.
Periodic performance reports with meetings to discuss results.
Project team training for system management.
Creation of idea-capturing application forms
Development of a WEB environment for external capture of ideas (together with the IT team).
