It's still up for debate whether innovation is something that can be structured, sped up, and essentially "taught." This hasn't stopped Cenovus Energy, a progressive Canadian oil company, from developing an innovation and continuous improvement program that has begun to get employees to ideate more openly and more quickly by utilizing process improvement methodologies and tools. What has been especially key to this early progress, however, is the company's focus on creating the right environment to support innovation.
In this Profit through Process podcast, Genna Weiss of Six Sigma & Process Excellence IQ speaks with Nasser Awada, group lead innovation continuous improvement for the integrated oil division at Cenovus Energy.
Awada discusses:
- The steps the company is taking to create the culture change necessary to more fully support innovation throughout the enterprise
- The tools and methods that have worked best in getting Cenovus Energy's employees to ideate more quickly
- Tips for overcoming culture change hurdles associated with the ideation process