Shreyas Bakshi

  Many organisations engage with innovation through well-established practices like Brainstorms, Hackathons, Kaizen initiative, Stage-gate evaluations, Idea management platforms, Incubation centres, shark-tanks/ pitch-days amongst others. They provide the visible structures through which ideas are generated, explored, and advanced. Over time, many organisations notice that the quality and consistency of innovation outcomes are shaped not only by these visible mechanisms, but also by the “software” and “humanware” that surround them. The organisations that expand their attention to these deeper layers often find innovation becoming more sustained and meaningful. And when leadership ambition expands… The conversation around innovation begins to evolve.  I nnovation gradually moves: From a trait admired in individuals to a capability strengthened across teams. From something experienced primarily as creative art to something developed with increasing scientific rigour. ...

  Innovation is a word leaders use often. It appears in strategy discussions, finds space in vision statements, and is embedded in company taglines. It is positioned as a lever for growth or renewal. And yet, there are leaders who are not satisfied with what innovation ultimately delivers — and wonder whether better outcomes are possible. At the same time, there are leaders who believe their innovation efforts are delivering incremental outcomes but do not wish to intensify efforts out of concern about over-stretching their teams. What if stronger outcomes could emerge by sharpening the direction of your current efforts — where efforts refer to both time and investment? Innovation efforts can be focused on: Projects — delivering defined strategic or operational outcomes. People — capability strengthened through delivering multiple projects. Organisation — systems and governance that identify and prioritise projects, track outcomes, and develop people capability...

Innovation mindset is often described through familiar qualities – curiosity, exploration, experimentation, openness to challenge. But in real innovation journeys, the question is rarely whether these qualities are present. It is about how each situation is interpreted as it unfolds. While the familiar qualities continue to hold value, much of one’s thinking remains deeply personal. It is shaped by how one has learned to interpret situations over time – and often reveals itself subconsciously in the moment, quietly influencing how the innovation journey is navigated. In such moments, innovation becomes less about applying predefined mindsets, and more about recognising the thinking at play – and what may need to shift. How often do we pause to notice how our thinking shapes our innovation journeys? Across diverse innovation contexts, I have seen meaningful progress begin here. The MijS Discipline of Innovation incorporates this aspect – recognising and working with und...

AI may not be the ultimate “truth”—but it is certainly shaping how we arrive at it. This is a reflection on my experiments with AI in creating content—text and related visuals. These were done with the intent of understanding what actually works. My background to set the context to this article I am a person of few words – drawing an analogy from the world of poetry, I am a fan of Ghazals (short, precise couplets) vs Ballads (long-form narratives). Also, I prefer to work without too many constraints on me – tending more towards the creative side rather than more regimented. In view of this, with the advent of social media, people sharing more were getting noticed. So, I had to express myself more – clearly and consistently. And, to put some of my content on marketplace platforms, I had to put my content in far more regimented way than I am used to. Hence, I needed help and before the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), I was seeking help from content professionals. ...