“Digital is a really just a trojan horse for design. It gives us the opportunity to really understand the lives of the people we serve and enables us to use that knowledge as a powerful tool for change within organisations.”
- Dominic Campbell, CDO Homes England
At Bromford Lab we adopt the mantra ‘bring us problems, not solutions’. It seems obvious, but starting from the point of really understanding the problem you are trying to fix, rather than focusing on implementing a solution which you are told will fix the problem you think you have, can have an exponential effect on the outcomes we are able to achieve with colleagues.
In the internet age, solutions are usually technological; a piece of hardware or a new piece of software. We can perhaps all get a bit dazzled at times by the latest gadget or gizmo, but when a potential solution gets prioritised over the problem we are trying to solve, that surely means that somewhere along the line there is a huge opportunity being missed.
When I attended the spring gathering of the Disruptive Innovators Network, I was taken by the number of presentations which referenced the relationship between technology and innovation and I was reminded of our mantra. It seems that when we say ‘bring us problems, not solutions’ what we often mean is ‘don’t start with technology, start with people’. Technology is important, but you have to do the groundwork first. Because if you don’t understand the problem you are trying to fix, you’re probably fixing the wrong thing.
Inspired by the conversations at the Disruptive Innovators Network, we thought that for this month’s #blabchat it would be good to discuss the role that technology plays in innovation - which drives which and where do people come into the equation?
If this sounds like a topic that’s close to your heart we would love you to join the conversation. Remember, label your answers A1, A2, A3, etc and most importantly, don't forget to use #blabchat when you respond, even if it’s replying to someone else's tweet.
Join us for some thought-provoking chat on Thursday 4th April from 8pm and don’t forget to tell your friends!
Following #blabchat we will be publishing our usual round-up of the conversation inline with our Editorial Guidelines.
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