Grant Thornton launches new innovation service to help fuel NZ business growth
Caution around ‘getting it wrong’ and the subsequent risks and costs, are some of the biggest inhibiting factors that
stop New Zealand businesses from innovating.
To assist in getting this right, Grant Thornton New Zealand has launched Ignite, an innovation service designed
specifically to help mid-sized New Zealand organisations to grow.
Ignite has been created using human-centred design methods and is being led by Melissa Jenner, Head of Design & Innovation, at Grant Thornton.
Jenner says that in her previous role as Director of Better by Design for NZTE, she witnessed first-hand the difficulty
business owners have incorporating good design and innovation methods into their organisation.
“Innovation is hard because you are taking your organisation into the unknown. Ignite has been created to help
organisations learn more about design, de-risk the innovation process and enable companies to gain valuable skills that
are repeatable,” she said.
With so much choice available to customers in an ever-changing global marketplace, in order to grow, companies must
ensure their products and services are meaningful and relevant, says Jenner.
Tim Downes, National Managing Partner at Grant Thornton expects this new service - which is the first innovation service
offering from Grant Thornton globally – will greatly assist many mid-sized businesses in New Zealand.
“For many CEOs, investing in design and innovation can sometimes be perceived as high risk.
“True design unlocks better thinking, better insights, better products and services and better customer experiences. To
quote the late Steve Jobs, ‘Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you
dig deeper, it’s really how it works’ ”.
Ignite is implemented through a series of creative, collaborative and fast paced workshops.
Melissa Jenner says that, “Working as a team, ideas are first validated using a desirability, viability and feasibility
lens. We then design the execution plan using a combination of human-centred design and strategic planning techniques”.
“We believe Ignite is a unique offering for mid-sized businesses in New Zealand. It brings together global best-practice
design methodologies with strong business analytics. The tools we have created can be applied to a specific growth
opportunity our clients are facing, bringing both immediate and lasting value,” she said.
ENDS