Page 17 - AAA JULY-AUGUST 2012 Online Magazine

FEATURE INNOVATION

company to be successful and innovative,
the ceo has to be down there on the
ground to see where it can innovate.
too many people think innovation is just
technology, but it’s the simple things,
it’s the things that stop people working
in silos. that’s innovation.” Fernandes’
example is the use of a single transport
to take pilots and flight crew to the
airport. “in the old days, they wouldn’t
dream of travelling together,” he notes.
“but this is simply more efficient – and it
allows the crews to bond better so they
work together better.”
Qantas has the same approach to
its corporate ideas development. “we
see innovation as the door to unlocking
creative solutions to problems we are
challenged with, providing greater
value for our customers,” points
out webster. she says this can take
the form of many things - the use of
technology as an enabler to bring
improved alternatives to legacy
products, transforming the way
customer interaction takes place, or
a more proactive “hosted approach”
to passengers. “having the right
people in innovation roles is critical
to success. From our experience,
forming a team of people with a variety
of skills creates the right environment
to generate ideas, formulate solutions
and [find] ways to unlock the previously
assumed impossible,” she adds.
and the mix between new ideas,
new materials and designs, and new
people skills is as important to truly
useful innovation, adds krein. real
innovation only comes, he asserts,
when the mix of experience and smarts Upside down or downside up? TOP Alaska Air was the
glues various factors together to bring the last and possibly most contentious first airline to switch from
a new, innovative result. issue on the innovation agenda is: who paper based to iPad-based
“one of the things airbus does drives it? according to epstein, the idea cockpits. All maps and flight
really well is to use its broad that innovation can be dictated from some information are now on iPads
experience to link ideas together,” he kind of a management memo is anathema.
says. “You can’t just add all the bits “innovative companies have to foster ABOVE Pratt & Whitney have
pushed back the limits of
together and make it work. You have to innovation through every single level of engineering with the new
assemble all the elements – including the organisation,” he says. innovation Pure Power geared turbofan
innovations – together and make it is not something that can be taught or - the first of its kind, and also
into a working whole. You have to be dictated, he asserts. “it is something that extremely fuel-efficient
brave, to be unconventional and attract comes from bright minds that know their
innovative people. that’s what makes products, customers and markets well
us an innovative company.” enough to continuously improve.”
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