Innovation: pillar for the recovery of organizations in times of crisis

In addition to the growing number of cases of contagion of the new coronavirus, another factor that is causing great concern for companies is the economic crisis that is knocking on our doors.

In situations like this, it is common to act in a pessimistic way about the future, especially when we are bombarded with information about negative GDP, mass layoffs and the prospect of the greatest economic recession in recent times.

However, we must take into account that large business models, such as Uber and Airbanb emerged as a consequence of the 2008 crisis and, like them, so many other innovations have gained space through similar scenarios.

The closest definition for innovation is the search for success through means of practices and ideas that have not yet been explored, with the crisis scenario being the most prone to the development of new tools, new principles and even solutions, providing an opening for the emergence of new companies.

Now is the perfect time for organizations to show their great advantage, to be able to develop new solutions and, in some cases, to completely reinvent the work structure.

Currently, we are witnessing companies and comercial establishments depending on digital appications and the mode of sale through e-commerce due to the imposed social isolation and, for this reason, they are using technology as an ally to continue producing and remain with “open doors”.

Consequently, companies that use the traditional model of selling or delivering solutions, have been conditioned by changing their work routine, to focus on innovative responses, and may well maintain the method as an integrated model in their institutional plan for the future, using applications, e-commerce together with digital marketing, social networks or even the home office. The opportunities are diverse and whoever has creativity and is open to change, ends up taking the lead.

Analyzing the innovation scenario in Brazil, in the last survey carried out by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea) in April of this year, it showed that

the country presented a drop in business investments in innovation, with a decrease of 0,58% to 0,50% compared to previous years.

The results of Ipea came precisely when the business nucleus of Brazil and the world is undergoing changes and is underpinned by two main pillars – innovation, as previously mentioned, and technology. Which may cause variations in this number in future research.

The demonstrate the importance of this foundation for the satisfactory functioning of organizations, we can mention two big names that satnd out in these two pillars: Google, the largest online services and software company in the world and Amazon that completely reinvented the sales model and product transportantion.

Both have achieved steady growth in recente years, managing to circumvent the crisis and continue to thrive with their services, delivering value to their customers and their needs, thus developing proximity to the public and brand awareness, which are important factors for the positioning of an organization in times of crisis.

To conclude, in recent years, the term resilience has been used too much to express when an individual undergoes importante changes and resists the pressure of adverse situations. There is no better expression to describe the position of companies at that time.

It is time to be resilient, to learn from adversity, to restructure and move on. We are going through an evolution, nothing will be as before, and it is important to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise and take advantage of the tools that are available and that can help you find the best way out of this turbulent moment.