Reaping the benefits of working with a great team: The SAP Innovation award
My recent blog post (The Capgemini SAP-certified Intelligent Supply Chain Accelerators) discusses the latest in SAP Innovation and Intelligent Enterprise displaying Capgemini’s proven track record in the SAP Innovation ecosystem. In addition, I am proud to announce that the Capgemini in the Netherlands has received the SAP Partner Award 2018 based on our innovative use of Intelligent Technology such as Blockchain, IoT and Machine Learning and having 4 certified SAP Leonardo accelerators. In addition to this, Capgemini is working with partners on innovative projects that are divers for change, one of which, for instance, is even enhancing the safety of people in war zones.
It is a privilege and honor to lead the SAP Innovation Center. I wanted to share my experience and let you in on the advantages of working with such a dynamic team.
Even with a fully booked agenda, I never know what the day has in store for me.
It sounds like a paradigm, but it’s true. We work on the latest undiscovered topics in a global setting involving multiple touchpoints and stakeholders. Being a person with a highly structured approach, planning calls in advance has been one way of managing stakeholders. There is also the challenge of managing activities with short timelines where a client offer needs to be delivered in the next few days and the team must shift focus immediately. I constantly strive to ensure that the team meets the short-term demands without neglecting our long-term goals and perspectives. As I am constantly on my toes, there is rarely a dull moment in my work day!
Innovation and its dynamic nature have brought about a high degree of autonomy and short decision-making timelines.
Every day, we discover solutions that may or may not work, leading to further questions and insights into what can be possible in this rapidly changing business environment. Agility is at our core and this means empowering team members to work autonomously, trusting them with decisions, and harboring a safe environment – one that accepts mistakes as integral to the overall learning process. Autonomy also brings about short decision-making timelines and, in my case, one conversation with my manager is enough for a decision to be made. This is how we encourage all our team members to work – taking charge of their own tasks.
Our work consists of an incredibly collaborative but also individualistic environment.
Working on innovation comes with an interesting mix of intense moments of collaboration and periods of soul-searching to find solutions for new problems.
Each team member is highly trained and has advanced analytical skills. This is backed by their core instincts and their drive to discover and understand innovative technology. As a team, we rely heavily on each other as we bring together our individual insights and learnings in working towards delivering common goals. But to push our limit as a team, we also need to push our own limits as individuals.
For me this brings together a number of personal energizers: I can fulfill my intellectual curiosity, enjoy the moment we solve a challenge as a team and achieve something we thought would not be possible that also pushes me outside my comfort zone.
Being bright and effective pays off (and coaching the bright and effective is great fun)!
Innovation is not about age or experience. It’s about attitude. With a curious mind, a willingness to put your best foot forward, a desire to share your experiences and knowledge, a willingness to be accountable for your mistakes and successes, and the tenacity to push forth, you can move quickly up the ladder in the Innovation team.
I believe that the collective power of the team hinges on the individual power of every member. My role enables me to motivate and support every member on the team to maximize their individual potential for the overall success of the team. Being an enabler brings me immense joy!
Being at the edge of discovery and the forefront of innovation leads to a steep learning curve while having a lot of fun! In the end, this makes for a rewarding career!
True for me!
And maybe also true for you?
If you are interested to learn more about how we work with SAP and innovation at Capgemini, please connect with me or my colleagues in the SAP Innovation Center.
Hugo Wasser is Innovation Center Lead for Europe at Capgemini. Click the below profile to find out more or connect with Hugo on LinkedIn.