Learning about the Teal Organization’s practices to support Innovation and Product Development, I can see how such thinking could be beneficial to any for-profit organization including my own.
The idea around innovation is framed as finding “better ways to serve the organization’s unique sense of purpose, rather than out-think the competition”. This involves shifting from a traditional left-brained approach, relying primarily on data analysis of customer behavior and purchasing trends, to a more right-brained approach - driven by purpose, listening to the needs of those we serve, and responding to that feedback.
This approach attempts to answer these questions:
“What product would we be really proud of?"
"What product would fill a genuine need in the world?"
"What product or service are we uniquely capable of providing?"
There is much evidence of the customer appeal and financial success of companies with a mission-driven approach to how they do business. One example include Tom’s Shoes, whose pioneering of the “One for One'' model gained traction and influenced followers such as Warby Parker to tie their consumer sales directly to charitable giving. Arguably it was this original mission, which has since evolved into other charitable endeavors and sustainability measures, that differentiated an otherwise simple product from the competition, and kept a loyal customer base. Ethical and charitable models of business are proving to be increasingly attractive to customers, especially of younger generations, and have continually proven as profitable as well. Especially with volatile issues we are facing more and more, including climate change/environmental impacts, increasing income inequality, greater awareness around social inequity, the effects of globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the desire for more authenticity and empathetic, mission-driven business is what will differentiate organizations from those doing business-as-usual.
My company, UScellular, has steadily ranked fifth among the country’s largest mobile service providers. While the company’s brand positioning and campaign messaging has evolved over the years, at its core has been an emphasis on putting the customer needs first, practicing the old slogan of treating them “like a neighbor, not a number”, emphasizing reliability, fairness, and commitment to customers and their communities. Internally however, there has been much more emphasis on looking at competitor branding and strategy than customer-facing marketing would imply. Attention to competitors is certainly valuable information and a given strategy for large business, and has proven necessary to keep up with technology trends and customer wants and needs. Particularly as a technology company, that is a necessary part of being in such a continually changing industry. But in a highly competitive market, the focus cannot be heavily weighted on overtaking the competition. Similarly, it would be a futile goal for a small business to attempt to overtake Amazon or Google in terms of market share. What we can learn from the Teal Organization approach is the value in both differentiation and mission - that is, filling gaps in the industry in a way that others are neglecting, and showing a genuine commitment to those neglected areas through concrete action. UScellular is already doing this in a number of ways - primarily by focusing on markets in smaller towns and rural areas that may not receive reliable coverage from other phone and internet providers. This initiative is an example of what could serve to answer all three of the questions above. While initiatives such as high-speed internet for rural communities is becoming a higher priority, it could serve us well to champion these causes in our brand and messaging approach, as a reminder to customers and communities why they are making the right choice.