Innovation guru Rowan Gibson to speak live in SA

Rowan Gibson, innovation expert

Gibson is the latest in a series of international speakers to be brought to SA by Global Leaders. Tina Schneidermann, president of Global Leaders, explains: “Through this year, we have presented speakers that focus on the challenges and opportunities within business in South Africa.

“Rowan will show companies how to reimagine how they operate, from product right through to price, and demonstrate how globalisation and commoditisation need not slow a company down, but can open up new areas for growth.”

South Africa, ranked 46th overall in the world by the Global Competitiveness Report 2007, is the second highest ranked country in Africa, second only to Tunisia. Relative to its overall rank, the country does particularly well in a number of areas typically reserved for rich, innovation-driven economies.

“Economic sophistication”

Gibson says: “SA's economic sophistication is reflected by its achievement in fields like property rights, corporate ethics, and goods, as well as financial market efficiency, business sophistication, and innovation.

He believes that South Africa's drive to build knowledge and innovation throughout its economy, which has seen it score highly in scientific research and research and development, will see it push ahead again.

“Globalisation, driven by technology, has enabled companies to take advantage of skills in smaller markets, thereby rerouting operating costs into investment in research and development.

“We can learn a lot from markets such as SA. Business innovation in these areas comes from creativity that is generated in highly cost-conscious surroundings, where minimal resources are available but new solutions are being used.”

Enterprise-wide innovation

He explains that an enterprise-wide innovation capability will create new wealth, new markets and new growth opportunities.

“The fact is: you don't have to have a huge budget to produce great ideas and to pull off incredible innovation achievements. On the contrary, you can innovate very successfully on the cheap,” says Gibson.

“One of the best ways to multiply your innovation resources is to involve as many minds as possible across the organisation – and outside it – in your company's ideation efforts. Ask everyone to get involved in imagining new markets or new growth strategies. Tap into all that creativity that is latent inside and outside your organisation.

“In today's cost-conscious economy, where managers are expected to find radical new growth opportunities while turning down the screws on every budget, innovation must be run as efficiently as any other process in the company.”

• Rowan Gibson's innovation masterclass will be held at The Forum, The Campus, Johannesburg on 21 November 2007. For more details, go to www.globalleadersevents.com/Gibson.