Throughout my career in innovation, I’ve always hubbed my work on the understanding we create hope via disruption. Not the saccharin side of hope that reads more like groundless optimism. I’m talking about the hope that represents true possibility, authentic desire, real want.

It’s no mistake these are key drivers to business and consumer growth as well. Which is why in April 2020, locked-in and fighting off fear mongers, I highlighted the importance of relying on the innovators in one’s organisation, stating the hopeful are here.

At that moment, one of total global disruption, hope meant having enough to get by, keeping one’s head up, carrying on. I was running Hyundai Motor Group’s Innovation & Partnerships division at Innocean at the time. The automobile industry was in a state of panic – no one was really thinking about buying cars, even if they were it was virtually impossible to do so in person. The natural response from most people was to ask ‘what now?’ But in innovation, we already knew to ask “what if?”

A year on, “what if?” is exactly what we need to get companies, brands, and agencies who have been disrupted into the hope of growth mode. And in my experience, an innovation team run by a senior executive is equipped better than any other to do this. This is the best way to make sure a business is coming up with creative solutions for the problems for our new reality, but also makes it possible to put into place new strategies and productise new offerings. This is not a call to take a risky pivot but having the guts to go for it.

But for some reason, innovation continues to be viewed as a slush fund by many businesses and brands – something requiring effort and resources while delivering little by way of return. So you end up with companies saying that they’re innovating – in fact they’re most likely just improving processes.

To be truly creative, an organisation needs innovation to be the purview of a senior leader heading a division with high-growth targets. Great, truly creative innovation is a collective power in business, when harnessed well it leads companies into new verticals, new territories, apt acquisitions, smart business moves, and greater profits.

In my innovation practice, both at Hyundai and with other clients, we operate for purpose. Our own growth is necessary, but our role as a pipeline to company growth is requisite – there’s no shyness when it comes to business targets. Innovation cannot be afraid of accountability.