Reflections on the Scotland Can Do Innovation Summit — Glasgow November 2019
Reflecting on my visit to Glasgow, I realise I went along to the Can Do Innovation Summit primarily for some inspiration. I wanted to immerse myself in the world of innovation and see first hand the various ways in which the private and public sector along with academic institutions are embedding innovation practices within their organisations. Since graduating this year with a masters in design innovation and collaborative creativity it is heartening to see how each of the elements in the laughably long title of my masters degree are relevant and applicable in so many sectors.
Essentially this is because the concepts and processes of innovation give us common ways of talking about, thinking about and making real, new ideas together. Design thinking and innovation processes may have many different expressions in different fields, and while one organisation may be agile and another sprints, the common understanding around these processes of creation is, in my mind, leading us into some interesting territory. A territory where we can explore not only what it means ‘to be human centred’ and create products, systems and organisations which work for people but also what it means ‘to be human and create together’ by consciously participating in the process of imagining the future we want to see.
I was inspired to be reminded of the way Scotland is driving forward a vision of growth which incorporates more than just economics but has a real focus on imagining a future where well-being, environmental sustainability and equality are at the heart of the agenda for how growth is directed and imagined.
After a recent trip to Andalusia, a region where both social and technological innovation has also been a key focus for driving forward change and growth in economic and political spheres, I can admit to feeling somewhat dispirited by returning to Scotland. As beautiful as it is, the wet cold Autumn was beginning to get me down.
The Can Do Innovation summit was real medicine in reminding me of the positive and aspirational spirit of Scotland, despite the sometimes less than clement weather Scotland is a small country with big and noble ambitions. At a time where the urgency to make decisive change in order to secure a sustainable existence here on planet earth has never been greater, Scotland is showing up as a world leader in pointing to where we as a global community should place our focus.
