Innovation remains key, albeit with a different focus
COVID-19 and Future of Print Survey with Ricoh shows innovation has changed but not stopped
Despite the uncertainty we all live with now, one thing remains unchanged. Innovation remains key, albeit with a different focus according to results from the latest COVID-19 and the Future of Print Survey in partnership with Ricoh.
Humans innovate. Some more than others, and some like innovation more than others. This is a fact of life.
Humans have evolved through our ability to innovate and collaborate. It is a key to survival and successful evolution. And it still is.
Results from the survey show only a relatively small number of respondents (5%) have said that for the time being, they do not plan to innovate, and a much larger projection is innovating more, and innovating differently to address the problems of today.
Who has completed the survey? The answer is people from the FuturePrint EcoSystem. These people are a mix of technologists, printers, analysts, consultants and experts. People that are highly invested in the success of the print sector from commercial to industrial print.
Of course, investment in large capital equipment has been affected. But according to results from the survey investment is continuing albeit with a doubling down on efficiency. This makes sense, and technology is there that can help.
We (people) choose how we respond to pressure and stress. The fact is that right now is a moment of growth. For example, if you place this into the context of physical training and performance, when the human body is placed under stress the body will adapt. Over time fitness will ensue, muscles will grow and fat will reduce (depending on your goals). So placing stress onto a system is not necessarily always a bad thing, it can produce new results that would not have been possible otherwise.
I think that there have been two broad responses to the crisis from people and this is linked to mindset. One is to wait it out, so the storm will pass and we will then gain clarity over what to do next. The problem is, the storm hasn’t passed and the virus is very unpredictable. So waiting around and doing nothing is actually quite dangerous and risky in my view.
The second path is to move forward, and push yourself out of your comfort zone, be confident that your skill set has value in a different way, talk to people, connect as much as possible, and discover what kind of problems need solving. It may not translate into immediate results, but the chances are that by joining the dots, you will be able to create some value that helps you and your business to adapt. This is also a way of taking back control, that by recognising that we have little control over the crisis, but we do over our response to it and doing something positive and proactive will in itself lead to something more positive.
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