The imagination deficit

I think that a lot of established businesses and their leadership teams are facing a deficit. An imagination deficit – an inability to move beyond prevailing corporate logic and to truly imagine and re-imagine the future of their firms. It is not a coincidence that as corporations have become more ‘sophisticated’ they have become less child like, less human. But this is in turn is leading to a lack of real imagination and a focus on optimisation, digitisation and data-tisation (all worthy endeavours).

Creating the imaginative firm means truly reconnecting with the human being. It means understanding the human spirit and human desires in a world where technological seismic waves are creating new and emergent currents of behaviours, new modes of connection and the reconsideration of space, place and identity.

Becoming an imaginative firm will not be easy. It means truly looking at who you are, and what you could be. It requires hyper collaboration and a disruptive mindset. It needs full immersion, play and experimentation. But the prize is massive. What return could be delivered by Imagination?  It enables innovation, it sustains fresh thinking , it invigorates talent and it creates a consistent desire to execute.

Ask yourself an honest question- how truly imaginative was your last product, offering, strategy or initiative? Enough said!