Innovation, and the disruption it inevitably creates, has never occurred at such a high pace. While exponential change makes the world a more interesting place, with new products and services being made available all the time, it can have some serious consequences for businesses and the technologies they rely on. After all, many of the products that come to market render existing technology obsolete.
It's therefore more important than ever that the leaders of businesses, and organisations of any sort for that matter, take time to think creatively about their strategies, the products they create, the technologies they employ, and the experiences they generate for their customers.
Helping our clients to keep on top of this is one of the major reasons behind our decision to establish our new Greenhouse in Edinburgh – part of a network of similar Deloitte facilities across the globe and something that complements our Deloitte Digital Edinburgh Studio.
With construction well underway, it's only a matter of weeks away from opening.
Innovation Labs will be a huge part in the Greenhouse experience, as they are specifically designed to bring people together in a way that breaks with traditional methods of problem solving. They create a high-energy, creative environment that allows people to work in a different way, using techniques that are proven to generate new insights and develop ideas at an accelerated pace.
More widely, the Greenhouse will provide a space to engage with, and discuss, complex topics and find workable solutions. While in the facility, people are encouraged to move around freely, or relax on comfortable seating, when sharing ideas.
It's all about creating that new experience, consuming high-energy, nutritional foods and smoothies to match the mood of the labs. And, while logic is important, we're trying to inspire creativity, so mixing this in will be a big part of what we do – moving people outside of their comfort zone – where left-brain meets right-brain!
In some instances, that could mean mooting ideas previously considered unthinkable: for example, collaborative projects between organisations that would previously never have worked together. Their collective proposition could be a much more compelling offer than the service of just one company.
Since opening the doors to the first Deloitte Greenhouse space in 2011, we have hosted hundreds of clients, helping them to solve some of their biggest issues. The important thing to remember is that it could be used by any type of organisation – the only pre-requisites are a commitment to thinking more creatively and a desire to avoid being on the wrong end of Digital Darwinism.
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