Really good stuff: How do we get people excited about cross innovation?

What do you understand by the term cross innovation?

Claudia Köhler: Cross innovation means that different people from different sectors come together as equals to develop innovative solutions. People who might never have worked together in this way. It is a form of co-production that goes far beyond a traditional service relationship. Using a creative method, usually design thinking, creative professionals and representatives of other industries work together in partnership on challenges that they would not usually be able to solve without the famous thinking outside the box.

What role do creative professionals play in this?

Creative professionals bring innovative methods and different ways of thinking into the process, they question the status quo and often provide the decisive change of perspective. In cross-innovation processes, creative professionals with solution-oriented competences are involved just as much as creative professionals, usually from culturally related submarkets, whose competences only become relevant to the solution on closer inspection.

This could be, for example, a theatre director solving a spatial challenge. It is precisely this interdisciplinary collaboration that opens up new perspectives that differ from traditional innovation processes. At the same time, creative professionals benefit from the exchange: they gain an insight into other sectors of the economy, learn about new fields of application for their skills and can thus expand their own portfolio.

Why do you think cross-industry collaboration is so important?

Really good ideas need a maximum of different perspectives. Climate emergency, demographic change, technological progress: such far-reaching transformation processes cannot be tackled alone. Working together is the order of the day. Collaboration, co-operation and co-creation are not the buzzwords of our time for nothing. Creative professionals play an important role in this. Developing new ideas is in their DNA. Small and medium-sized companies in particular, which do not have their own research department, can benefit enormously from cross innovation. By working with creative professionals, they not only receive fresh ideas, but also tried-and-tested innovation methods that they can later take forward themselves.

Can you give us a concrete example from practice?

A good example is the Bergmann family bakery. They asked themselves how the bakery industry can increase the appreciation of local raw materials and sustainable baked goods. Managing Director Matthias Bergmann and his team worked together with creative professionals from various disciplines, including a porcelain designer, a communication designer and an artist.

And what was the end result?

During the process, the bakery's real pain points came to light. Firstly, that its commitment to sustainability is hardly known to the outside world and secondly, that the company is not perceived for what it is: a family-run bakery. The team developed three ideas together: using the bread roll bags as communication surfaces, explaining the origin of baked goods using word clouds in the display and a reading café entitled "Fairy tales between poppy seeds and flour". The aim of the reading café was to bring people of all generations together in the Bergmann cafés. The idea behind it: The value of "family" is not only communicated, but also visibly lived out in the shops.

What factors are decisive in attracting companies to Cross Innovation?

The most important factor is the added value of cross innovation. It has to be clear why it makes sense for everyone involved to get involved in this process. We don't want to persuade anyone, but rather appeal to companies that have a genuine interest in interdisciplinary collaboration. Another important point is trust. Companies must be prepared to go beyond their usual boundaries and establish a culture of open knowledge transfer. Trust is not only important for the team, but also for the entire process. This is often open-ended and dynamic, and different working and thinking cultures must be brought together. This trust must be present from the outset if the cross-innovation process is to be successful. Recommendations from trustworthy people and stories from other participants can help to build this trust and facilitate the start of cross innovation.

What are the biggest challenges facing companies dealing with cross innovation?

A frequently cited problem is the perceived lack of time. As the cross innovation process is often open-ended, participants do not know at the beginning what the end result will be. This makes it difficult for many entrepreneurs to justify the resources required. But this is precisely the key: the value of cross innovation lies not only in the end result, but in the process itself. This is where new insights, ways of thinking and perspectives emerge that are also important beyond the actual process.

How can these cultural differences be bridged?

Different working and thinking cultures come together in cross-innovation processes, which can lead to initial barriers. But it is precisely these differences that enrich the innovation process. The challenge lies in organising the collaboration process in such a way that all participants can contribute their expertise and pursue a common goal. Another difficulty is that cross innovation is often a longer, iterative process that involves several phases, such as research, brainstorming, prototyping and reflection. Participants tend to immediately think in terms of solutions, which makes the multi-stage process more difficult.

How can the benefits of cross innovation be communicated more effectively?

The most effective way to communicate the benefits of cross innovation is to share concrete experiences and stories. Success stories from real projects show how cross innovation works in practice and what results can be achieved. When companies and creatives talk about how the process has changed their way of thinking, confidence in cross innovation is strengthened. This shows other companies how valuable the exchange with creative minds can be and that it is worth taking the plunge into cross-industry collaboration.

What role do creative approaches play in the development of cross innovation strategies?

Creative approaches are of crucial importance in cross innovation processes. The design thinking method, which is frequently used, promotes solution-orientated and interdisciplinary thinking. It involves looking at problems from different perspectives, developing new ideas and testing them in an iterative process. Creative methods help to structure the innovation process without restricting it too much. They promote rethinking and enable those involved to find solutions in a creative way that they might not have discovered using traditional approaches.

How do you envisage a future-proof infrastructure for cross innovation?

In the future, cross innovation could be established as a standard process for companies that cannot solve their challenges on their own. A future-proof infrastructure would make it possible to systematically bring together companies and creative minds from different sectors. Advice centres, networks or chambers that act as contact points for companies could serve this purpose. These institutions could build the trust that is necessary for successful collaboration. I hope that cross innovation will be recognised as a valuable tool that helps companies to improve their innovation processes and find new solutions to their challenges.