UTILITY WEEK | 7TH - 13TH DECEMBER 2018 |
21
Operations &Assets
Views from
the table:
1. Innovation is
about people and
culture – it's not
always about tech-
nology.
2. Most innovation
is about continuous
improvement – and
it is essential to cap-
ture that properly.
3. Organisations
have to take risks –
and accept that not
all innovative ideas
will work out.
4. It is essential to
get staff buy-in and
think innovatively –
in many successful
organisations inno-
vation comes from
the bottom up.
5. Staff need time to
think in order to be
creative.
Key
takeaways
Simon Harrison group strategic
development director, Mott
Macdonald/IET
"Barriers to innova-
tion are organisational
and cultural. The
technology is pretty
much there. I think it's
clear from the discus-
sion that innovation
does not equal tech-
nology alone."
Denise Massey, managing
director, Energy Innovation Centre
"When it comes to
measuring the suc-
cess of innovation,
it can't be purely
financial. We have to
look at the social and
environmental impact
it has as well."
Simon Ayley, commercial director
WRc
"I would say most of
what we call innova-
tion is actually con-
tinuous improvement.
There is little in the
way of transforma-
tion. Be it innova-
tion, or continuous
improvement, it needs
to be encouraged
from the bottom up
and if we engage with
people in this way, it
can be great for staff
retention."
Heidi Mottram, chief executive,
Northumbrian Water
"We've not been pre-
scriptive. We just want
our staff to be think-
ing about it and just
get innovation in our
blood and DNA."
Iliana Portugues, head of
innovation for electricity
transmission, National Grid
"Innovation is about
encouraging people
to think in different
ways about absolutely
everything they do.
It's very easy to see
innovation as being
about technology and
process when the real-
ity is, it's about people
and culture."
The Utility Week-Wipro
Technology and Innovation
Council is a forum for
networking and ideas-sharing.
It meets for face-to-face
debates and workshops
and approves the focus for
bespoke research.
