Don’t forget front-line innovators
“What I’m still learning after 45 years of doing this is you can be
just as innovative in the mail room as you can be in the lab or the
factory,” Kohrt says. “And you should celebrate it the same way.”
After all, innovation isn’t just about selling a new, improved service or product. It’s also about working smarter.
“There are a lot of hidden costs,” Kohrt says. “I believe the organization always has more knowledge about how they can operate
more effectively than management gives them credit for. So we’re
now trying to get the staff to step back and say, ‘Do you have a better idea?’
“It comes in many different arenas — some of them seemingly
mundane — but it can improve your cost position or your competitive position in unexpected ways.”
“You just have to be open to it. It’s not just the product. It’s innovation in many different areas.”
HOW TO REACH: Battelle Memorial Institute, (614) 424-6562 or www.battelle.org