“Welcome to the Innovation Network – a community of established high-tech manufacturers keen to evolve with agility and stay strong in their markets.
Our activities get people thinking together on shared obstacles to innovation. Participants may be product innovators, strategic leaders, commercial professionals, and internal change agents – cognitive diversity is intentional and key!
If you are interested in hearing more and getting involved, get in touch!”
Siobhan Soraghan BSc MBA, Founder, Active Insight, and facilitator of the Innovation Network.
What We Are About
In the past, many innovations would arise from spontaneous dialogue with colleagues over the coffee machine, or random chats in corridors with peers from other disciplines. As organisations become more established so do their silos. The uptake of virtual coms since Covid has exacerbated these divisions. Team and cross-organisational comms have become more deliberate and planned, reducing further the more spontaneous social communications and relationship building across boundaries.
Although the technical prowess in your organisation may be outstanding, there are many knotty non-technical “wicked” challenges to overcome in bringing tech innovation to fruition. This is particularly true in well-established organisations. It’s an accepted fact that such challenges – i.e. those that are systemically complex – are best addressed by groups of rich cognitive diversity – i.e. a mix of brain types, age-group, discipline, cultural backgrounds, and more.
That’s where we come in. Our philosophy is to help re-create valuable interaction opportunities both within and between organisations keen to innovate and to stay strong in their markets. The Innovation Network’s carefully designed “streams” of activities bring innovators together from different organisations to address shared challenges. Signing up to all stream yields a generous discount and confers “Full member” status.
High trust and safety mean knowledge, experience, mindsets and approaches are generously shared. Perspectives shift, fresh thinking occurs spontaneously and can lead to fruitful collaborations. Challenges are addressed, tools are acquired, and bonds are built with respected peers – with ease while having a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting time!
These activities can also be run in-house to mitigate disconnects between silos and sites.
Innovation is a collaborative activity where cognitive diversity is the fuel!
What makes us different?
Our activities enable participants to learn from each other, in small, relaxed groups. Gently facilitated interactions forge relationships and encourage the sharing of wisdom. New thinking and insights are drawn from the rich experience and diverse perspectives of participants. Insights are gained about people dynamics and business structures, invaluable for anyone occupying or aspiring to a senior position of influence in innovation.
If your organisation is an established manufacturer in high-value engineering, digital, biotech or pharma, you are warmly invited for an exploratory conversation to explore the potential fit with the community.
How to participate
Participation in the Innovation Network is by invitation only to ensure we have the right kind of participants – those willing to share and have their minds stretched.
As a senior technologist, a customer-facing team leader, or if you are responsible for transformation in a high-tech manufacturing business, you would be joining a unique community of professionals.
For innovation, cognitive diversity is important. Without mixing beyond the organisation’s boundaries, one can be dangerously unaware of cultural blind spots in one’s thinking. That’s why we bring people together from a variety of organisations – gently facilitated, enjoyable conversations lead easily to seeing familiar challenges from fresh perspectives. Minds are opened, and new paths forward in a disruptive world become visible.
We ensure a comfortable and relaxed environment to foster interaction. Topics for discussion are typically raised by Network members themselves. Important problem-solving and dialogue skills are developed.
To explore becoming part of this special community, please get in touch.
Contact us now
In these unprecedented times it’s more important than ever to be challenged and enriched by trusted peers with different perspectives.
Get in touch to explore your fit with the Innovation Network’s exclusive community and the possibility of being welcomed as a participant.
Innovator flavours – which are you?
It's the context... Is there some magic universality about innovators? Well, if you gather a group [...]