Innovation: The key to the future

By Rashika Fazali

Innovation was the key factor in creating the internet decades ago and today it has become a crucial element in our life as millions of people are incapable of surviving without it.

Over the years, the online market has grown rapidly thanks to the curiosity of customers, who have always been on the lookout for challenging innovations that would make their lives a lot simpler.

From 2010 to 2015, one billion new internet users from emerging markets such as Sri Lanka are estimated to go online for the first time, while 15 million out of the billion new internet users will emerge from the US alone, stated Google Inc Southeast Asia Sales and Operations Managing Director Julian Persaud at the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) CXO Breakfast Briefing held at Cinnamon Lakeside.

In keeping up with these figures, companies have to find a way to innovate better to keep the users interested. What’s to be done? Do companies have to change their strategies to answer to the one billion new users? Or do they stick to old rules?

Speaking on ‘Nurturing and Sustaining a Culture of Innovation,’ he recalled how the multibillion company Google brings across its fine innovations on its terms. He stated that one of the biggest challenges Google had was keeping a steady hold on the company’s speedy growth.

Nine notions of innovation

As the company’s mission is to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, Persaud stated that Google constantly innovates itself with the use of the nine rules of innovation.

1. Innovation, not instant perfection

Persaud explained that several products Google has created and launched are not moulded to perfection and give the developer the opportunity to develop these products over time. Google believes first in innovation and second in perfection. He stated: “We will never reach perfection, but we certainly aim for perfection.”

For example, he mentioned that the search engine started as a simple box on a page and the concept was yet the same although it has developed over time with the launch of mobile search. “Search is becoming more of an assistant to you,” said Persaud.  

2. Share everything you can

He asserted that it is very important for every employee in the company to share their ideas with everyone. He stated: “Having a very innovative company means you have to have an innovative culture and you need to cherish that culture in renowned sprits.”

Living up to that standard, Google holds weekly meetings with the entire team from the receptionist upwards where anyone can question the CEO of the company. TGIF, the weekly meeting, acts as an open forum where everyone is given the right to know what is happening in the company, its improvements and plans, which makes the company transparent to all the employees.

Apart from weekly meetings, they also have a concept called Objective and Key Results (OKR), which are employee or company goals for the next quarter of the year.

In addition, unlike most companies Google accepts failure in order to become better and more innovative. Persaud added: “If you are not failing enough, then you are probably not innovating enough. Failing fast is a concept that has come to be cherished within the company.”

3. You’re brilliant. We’re hiring

When it comes to hiring people, Google always looks out for brilliant minds over experience. Persaud explained that the company is all about the people as they are the biggest asset, unlike most other companies around the world that believe otherwise.

He added: “We see that it’s fundamentally good that we get the right people and also have as diversified a workforce as possible.”

4. A license to pursue dreams

Although it comes as a shock, Google gives its employees 20% of their time to work on other projects of their interest, stated Persaud. It means giving them the right to focus on chasing their dreams.

He further explained that by allowing them this right, employees could produce greater results. Many important features on Google such as Google News, Gmail and Mobile Chrome were developed by Google’s 20% projects.

5. Ideas come from everywhere

One of the reasons why Google continues to be a high flyer is due to its view that anyone – from engineers, to marketers to users – can produce exceptional ideas.

Persaud stated that at Google they move people around departments and geographical areas to enable and encourage people to learn more and innovate with an open mind. Sometimes, the best ideas come from outside the company, stated Persaud, adding: “Mixing up the DNA in certain teams will produce strong results.”

Some of their innovations like Google Business Groups and Google Doodle evolved from strange areas. Doodles for instance originated when Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin decided to play around with the Google logo for laughs. Little did they know that their users loved the idea and the next thing we know, there were doodles every day to celebrate a notable event or birthday.

6. Don’t politic – use data

Most companies prefer to make decisions relying on what they think is good, what they like and don’t like, rather than facts and user preference. Persaud explained that at Google, they make user preferential programs after looking at the data punched in by users themselves. He also pointed out that if data is used to prove a point, you are more likely to win the battle.

With this in mind, Google created its Analytics service, which allows companies to track a website’s traffic and traffic sources.

7. Disregard the bounds of what we know

With innovations such as Google Glass and the driverless car, Google has shown the world that there is no limit to innovation. There is always something to create – that is how Google really thinks.

Persaud noted that Google is always thinking about the next big thing and this alone moves them to be creative and think out of the box. He further advised companies to take the 70-20-10 approach when dealing with projects and products.

8. Users and money will follow

Persaud stated that as a company if you delight the user and create a huge fan base, the money will eventually come. He further revealed that online advertising is becoming a sensation in the UK, with 30% of their advertising spent on the internet. “Typically in South East Asia it is 1%,” added Persaud.

9. Don’t kill projects, but morph them

“If you are innovating at speed, then of the one of the casualties is that you will go down the wrong path as a suggestive, but often something you learn from that project or piece of technology in that project can be used in another area. Google Wave is an example. It didn’t really work out, but there were elements of that we could take to bring forward other products,” said Persaud.

In conclusion, he said: “The founding principle of innovation to me is culture. If you get the culture right, you have a very strong foundation to build on.”

     Pix by Lasantha Kumara