What does it take to build an innovative culture?

Femke De Jager, Fugro’s innovation director for Europe, shares her key foundations for creating a culture that fosters innovation in the energy sector.

Innovation can often sound ominous. The word conjures up images of ‘groundbreaking’ inventions or a ‘game-changing’ new way of looking at the world – not helped by the hype surrounding some new technologies hitting the headlines in recent years.

By its very definition, innovation means introducing or using new ideas and ways of doing things. It’s vital to the continued success of any organisation and for solving the complex issues we face.

Everyone can innovate. One could even argue that an organisation should not have an Innovation Department as this might confine the opportunity and accountability to one team, potentially discouraging others from sharing their ideas.

“Organisations must adapt quickly to evolving realities”

At Fugro, we’re constantly working towards our mission to create a safe and liveable world – and innovation is central to this.

These days, there is no greater challenge facing businesses and society than climate change. Consider the tremendous impact of natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, loss of biodiversity, decimation of vital crops, and the spread of viruses.

Geotechnical data is among the most diverse sources of information about our planet, covering everything from soil composition and geology to bathymetry, ocean salinity, weather patterns and biodiversity. It is the ultimate big dataset from which innovation can grow for our clients in energy, infrastructure, and water.

Given the speed of change, organisations must adapt quickly to evolving realities. Decision-making for large construction projects is becoming increasingly complex. The faster and more accurately data is available to support these decisions, the better organisations can function and reduce risk in their decision and execution processes.

© Supplied by Fugro

Six key foundations to foster innovation

As an innovation director at Fugro, these are my key foundations for creating a culture that fosters innovation:

Break Silos
Organisations limit themselves if they aren’t open to collaboration. You can’t solve the world’s problems in isolation. At Fugro, we foster internal collaboration by creating empowered, multidisciplinary teams to work on innovations. We also partner externally with third parties, universities, and other organisations that share our values, challenges, and goals.

It’s Not Always About Moving Forward
Driving innovation doesn’t mean relentlessly pushing forward. Sometimes, progress requires stepping back to reflect on and learn from past achievements.

Don’t Be Afraid of Failure
When pushing boundaries, failure is inevitable. Without it, there’s no innovation. When setbacks occur, don’t be deterred. Instead, ask yourself what you’ve learned. Resilience and persistence are crucial for driving innovation.

Champion Diversity
Creating a culture of innovation means understanding the importance of diversity in all its forms. Everyone’s brain is wired differently, and tapping into this diversity helps future-proof organisations. At Fugro, we are privileged to have multiple facets of diversity in-house, including a mix of rich industry experience, fresh perspectives from entry-level talent, and colleagues with different cultural backgrounds.

Create Coincidence
Innovation often comes from creating opportunities for people with different perspectives, skills, and expertise to interact and develop new solutions. Not everyone needs to be an ‘Einstein’ or a scientist. By fostering a culture where everyone feels empowered to suggest improvements, even in their daily work, you create an environment where curiosity thrives. Great innovations often happen by chance, thanks to the curious minds of people who are eager to try new things.

Stay Informed and Open to New Trends
The world is rapidly changing, especially with the constant development of new digital technologies like generative AI. Stay attuned to new developments, evaluate their relevance to you, and be agile to adapt as needed.

While these insights are penned with a specific challenge and sector in mind, they can be applied across businesses – no matter what challenge or objective your organisation is trying to achieve.

Fugro has been helping people understand Earth since 1962, using the power of Geo-data to unlock it’s secrets.