Chidi Afulezi - The Innovation Mindset

Design Driven

Innovation isn’t a project, it’s a mindset. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of approaching innovation with the same guidelines, principles, and processes that you would a project, but when it comes to real innovation isn’t the whole point to do something new?

People think innovation is a project, so a CEO or CFO or head of division says okay we’re going to do innovation, and so they set it up as a project…and that is not going to work. You’re already primed for failure because many times, these organizations can’t tolerate failure, and the thing about innovation is that you’re constantly failing. In fact, 99% of the time, you’re failing, and there is that one spark that will kind of bring innovation into your organization.

Chidi Afulezi

In the last six months, COVID has been a market accelerator, but not a change agent from a product perspective according to product geek Chidi Afulezi. “If you thought you had time to test and address changes for your product, you’re wrong.”

All industries have been impacted by the ripple effects of the global pandemic and the companies that are thriving today were those that created a healthy environment for pivotal decision making and innovation.

In this episode Chidi and J discuss:

1. The typical pitfalls when companies try to establish innovation.
2. What the companies who are implementing innovation “right” are doing
3. How do you take the risk out of innovation, or at least minimize it?

About Chidi Afulezi:

Chidi Afulezi is Managing Principal at redKola digital labs and Head Faculty of Product, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at ALU School of Business. Chidi is a product scientist, consultant, and creative entrepreneur. Chidi began his career out of college working for Sony, Time Warner, CNN, and Turner Broadcasting after graduating with training in electrical engineering. During his time at Turner, he was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, which eventually led him to found his own consulting practice centered around solving existential problems for the customer.

Chidi brings unique energy about products and today his work spans several continents. Most recently, Chidi has been teaching and advising start-ups in Africa, which offers a diverse landscape for business, culture, and technological innovation.

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