Innovation, local collaboration and a sustainable future
All these things are connected and for that very reason it is important to strengthen and develop the links between them. Which in turn requires meeting places to exchange advice, ideas and thoughts.
This week's leadership forum at Science Park Skövde was exactly such a catalyst.
More than 200 people in various leadership positions in Skövde municipality were gathered. Among other things, they listened to a panel debate where Inexchange talked about its focus on innovation and the importance it has both for the individual employee and for the company as a whole.
Science Park Skövde is a municipal company focused on supporting start-ups, stimulating growth and acting as a consultant for the business community. This summer, the park secured a project grant of SEK 10 million for the next four years. The money will be used, among other things, to strengthen and develop the innovative power of companies and businesses in Skaraborg and Västra Götaland.
There is no doubt that this is central both now and in the future.
The theme of Skövde municipality's leadership forum fell into place automatically.
First and foremost, it is a comprehensive area that holds a huge number of perspectives. There is great value in listening to others and combining it with your own ideas. Networking is simply an accelerating factor in the process of change.Jenny Brian, Head of HR, and Simon Strandell, Commercial Director, both Inexchange, as well as Tobias Forsell, Forsway, and Henrik Wilsson, Wilsson Brothers.
Curiosity at Inexchange was high. After all, the business operations of the Park's largest employer in terms of number of employees are based on an innovation born around 2008 to simplify the handling of invoices through digitization.
Inexchange is exactly what the leaders' forum focused on.
The event's moderators Malin Lundberg and Carolina Green wondered, for example, how a company of Inexchange's size manages to encourage innovation to so many employees.
"The foundation of innovation and bringing out new ideas is trust and security. We have a variety of activities digitally, so that we can get to know each other, but also physically, such as lunchtime training sessions and joint breakfasts," says Jenny Brian.
In the work, there is also a pervasive desire to capture signals of any unhappiness and things that are nagging as early as possible.
"Openness and transparency is something we work very much with. Specifically, we have an employee survey that we do every month. It measures a lot of different issues. Everything from diversity, health and well-being to leadership," says Jenny, noting that the data resulting from the survey is discussed further within the departments and that in principle each department and team has a volunteer ambassador who is an invaluable link in this communication. We are open and transparent about what we can do in the departments and how we can help each other," Jenny emphasizes and adds:
"Then, of course, it is a very important foundation that you have a coaching approach, that you give space for employees to raise ideas and not feel forgotten. It is an important leeway. It creates trust in a company.
Innovation is also about daring. Simon Strandell was asked how Inexchange deals with failed initiatives. Is it even common to have such setbacks?
"If we stick to the very definition of failure, of course it happens sometimes, it would be strange otherwise, but we try to have the approach of not seeing it as failures but rather as attempts. That's the only way to really move forward and find the right kind of solution."
The tendency in many companies, according to Simon, is to try only once. If it doesn't work, the idea is dead and buried forever. "We have done that. It went badly. We never need to try that again."
"You have to have a mantra all the time. We try and test and see if it flies. If it doesn't, we turn it a little bit and try again. In the end, you find your way and feel that you have succeeded, he reasons."
The gist of what Simon wants to convey is to have perseverance and not abandon ideas and ambitions too quickly.
"I think it's important to have a quest, to have a long-term vision and goal to work with. If you then catch up, well, then you can either see yourself done and go home, or you can aim for something new. It is important to always have something in front of you to aim for", he says and rounds off with the following message to the audience:
"Allow ideas to flourish and allow employees to test. Discover for yourselves that innovation can also be small things. It doesn't have to be new technologies or business models. Make sure to innovate consistently in every situation."
Ingi Jonasson, CEO of Science Park Skövde, believes that joint forums, like the one on Tuesday, are essential for Skövde's development. "Together we will continue to build an ecosystem that promotes innovation and sustainable development. Through collaboration, courage and a constant willingness to improve and experiment, we can create an even stronger future", he says.