Collaboration is key to innovation – here’s why

Marcus Bonner, Chief Technologist at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).  HPE is a global hardware, software and services company, whose purpose is to advance the way people live and work.

How do you work with smaller companies to help them innovate?

As organisations transition to data-first and digital platforms, the need to harness and leverage both the data and the potential of that data is even greater – making for better operations and giving firms a competitive advantage. HPE provides skills and capabilities through the technology stack, together with years of experience, to help businesses innovate.

When it comes to business partnerships, we have a program called Pathfinder that identifies, works with, and in some cases, invests in B2B start-ups in the tech space, primarily IT infrastructure, tools or software.

What are the common issues companies are facing?

A key problem is access to new markets.  Customers are simultaneously time-poor and so overwhelmed with sales and marketing messages, that many start-ups struggle to find an audience.  Spending on marketing, and targeting that spend effectively, is key.

What are the main challenges for businesses trying to innovate?

The first question would be ‘Is change possible?’.  Mature organisations struggle with what I call institutional inertia.  Smaller businesses may struggle for resources or bandwidth.  In companies of all sizes, there’s always people who resist any kind of innovation, because they dislike change.

Next is organisational structure.  A clear line of sight from strategy to execution and ownership, along with how that change is perceived by the end of the business – who the customer is, or where the product is made.

Thirdly, innovation is continual.  Organisations need to have innovation as part of their culture, and a program to maintain momentum, while also accepting that this may be harder for some individuals than others.

How can collaboration help firms to overcome these challenges?

Working in collaboration with others may save you having to walk a mile that someone else has already walked.  Other companies will have different experiences and cultures to learn from,  and also different perspectives.  Others may also bring complementary skills and capabilities, with the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

What’s your advice to a company looking to innovate with a firm of a different size?

Understanding.  Don’t lead with it being about you.  Try to understand the partner company first; what are their drivers, needs, inhibitors?  Next, match your product, service or capability to those and other associated factors.  Look for the middle ground, areas of mutual benefit.  If there isn’t a spirit of partnership, move on.

For smaller firms, who can sometimes be over-awed by large corporations, don’t settle at any cost just because you’ve got airtime.  Walk away rather than give away – if your innovation is good, there’ll be another buyer.