Amid increasingly fierce competition, innovation is necessary for companies to stay competitive. The CEO of PT. Paragon Technology and Innovation, Salman Subakat, also shares the same view. He believes innovation can help companies outperform competitors through improving performance, as conveyed in a guest lecture session in the MM5026 – Management of Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship for Executive course on Saturday (18/6/2022).
According to Salman, the first door to innovation understands the founders’ mentality framework. Contrary to its name, this framework is not about founders but how a company can deliver its values through a system created together.
“So, see that our company is not only functional but also has an emotional aspect, creates hope, and can make a difference. The best behavior is beneficial,” said Salman.
Salman also considers innovation as an ecosystem. If one employee innovates, he or she can make a good company name and increase investment if the innovation ecosystem is supported. Salman cites Krakatau Steel (KS) as an example.
In innovation, leadership becomes something important. Salman analogizes innovation as salt. “Salt, if it’s too much, it can make you dizzy. Innovation is the same. Too many ideas and innovations can make you dizzy because the load increases, and the work is not finished. Therefore, people who have a lot of innovation must be managed through good leadership. Of course, different innovations need different types of leadership,” Salman said.
Lastly, Salman advised that innovation must start with oneself. Innovation can make everything more meaningful. Our biggest enemy is ourselves; this also applies to companies. It is important to continue to reflect so that companies focus on themselves and consumers, not worrying about what competitors do.