At PCDworks, for more than twenty-five years, we’ve been developing innovative solutions across a range of industries. From oil and gas to healthcare to transportation, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies—we’ve seen it all.

Every project is different, but no matter the industry or the size of the company, innovation is founded on what we call the triangle of success: people, place, and process. If you want to innovate, you must start here.

#1: The People: Build the Right Team

Innovate is a verb, which means it requires people—the right people—to do it. 

Usually, as much as companies might say and believe otherwise, innovation is treated as an afterthought. Case in point: innovation is almost never employees’ primary responsibility. Rather, within their forty-hour workload, they are given an hour here or there—perhaps an entire day if they’re lucky—in which to “innovate.” Innovation is simply one more task on their already-full plates. It’s like clipping a bird’s wings and then demanding it fly. 

Innovation is a different way of thinking, and it is not so easily switched on and off. It is not a task, but a skill set, which is driven by a mindset and must be nurtured and developed. For this reason, the most innovative companies have dedicated innovation teams: people whose primary role is to innovate. By having a team dedicated to innovation first and foremost, you make innovation a true priority, and you give your employees the time and space needed to be innovative.

In an ideal world, every major company would have a dedicated innovation team. Realistically, though, we know that’s not likely. Many companies do not have the resources (or are unwilling to commit their resources) for such a team. That’s where PCDworks comes in. We seek to fill the gap, serving as your dedicated innovation team, working hand in hand with you to solve your problems. 

#2: The Place: Get Out of the Way

For an innovation team to succeed, they require inspiration, immersion, and psychological safety. All of which you are unlikely to find in a 6’x6’ cubicle.

Our environment impacts us far more than we may realize. As Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” The innovation environment will affect how your team thinks and thus will determine the level and quality of innovation you produce.

The ideal innovation environment is a quiet, isolated place that provides the mental space and immersion that is necessary for innovative thinking. Then make sure the corporate bigwigs don’t stick their noses in! Nothing kills innovation faster than having a bunch of pencil pushers interrupting your train of thought and breathing down your neck.

Crafting the right environment has long been one of our strengths at PCDworks. Our campus sits on 80 acres of secluded piney forest, and for each client, we research the problem and then pack our brainstorming studio full of individualized materials to spark innovation. 

#3: The Process: Spend Your Resources Wisely

Finally, the right team and the right environment need a proven process to innovate. Innovation is an art meant to be approached scientifically, because only through the scientific method can you “know” anything. Having a clear process to guide you helps you to spend your resources—both money and time—wisely.

The process we use at PCDworks has been evolved and refined over the years. It is founded on the cognitive processes that encourage innovation and the philosophical underpinnings of knowledge-based decision-making. In other words, it is all about iteration and gaining knowledge, as much and as quickly as possible so that you can make the most educated decisions about your next steps. You can learn more here: Our Approach.

Without a process, you’re not innovating. You’re guessing. You’re following whims in the hopes they lead somewhere productive. Innovation is too important to leave to chance. You need structure. Our process is not a rigid equation into which you plug black-and-white variables, but a well-vetted strategy that can be modified as the circumstances demand and wisdom allows. It is a combination of practical lessons and psychological theory. It shows not just how to do innovation, but how to think about innovation.

The 3 Ps of Innovation

People. Place. Process. These three things are the foundation of all innovation, the prerequisites that form the triangle of success. 

Structurally, the triangle is the strongest shape. If you’re missing any one side, though, the triangle collapses. With the wrong people, place, or process, innovation becomes significantly more difficult. Shore up the triangle, and you increase your odds of success.

Interested in working with us? Email us to set up an introductory, zero-pressure meeting to learn more about how we can collaborate.

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