Innovation is at the heart of any company that wants to stand out, perform and strategically design the future. This adds value, offers new opportunities and allows us to stay ahead of the competition. MediSolution decided to invest in this field of expertise by forming a committee entirely dedicated to innovation, therefore becoming one of the first and rare companies in Quebec to support the creativity of employees. Thousands of hours are devoted annually to improve our products, adapt services for our customers’ needs, foster a sense of belonging and promote boldness and originality.
First hackathon
One of the first initiatives of the MediSolution Innovation Committee was to hold a hackathon in April 2018. This extraordinary activity offered a platform to foster creativity and develop an innovation project. The most interesting ideas were propelled by the committee with the objective to offer a product or service to our customers.
A learning organization
Transforming a company into a learning organization allows employees to think differently, build the future from new perspectives, create a sense of commitment and challenge established models. This change of orientation is carried out individually, collectively and organizationally through five disciplines*:
- Acquire personal mastery or learn to develop our abilities and confidence to carry out projects according to a permanent process of self-improvement.
- Challenge mental models or re-evaluate our ways of thinking to better guide our actions and decisions.
- Team learning or collective thinking to acquire more intelligence and competence than the sum of individual talents.
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Build a shared vision or a sense of commitment within the group by developing a shared image of the future.
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Systems thinking or not to focus on the issues, but rather observe problems globally to better control situations.
An innovative and inspiring week
Moving from words to action, the innovation committee held its first week devoted to innovation from May 6 to 10, 2019; a mobilizing, dynamic and fun event under the theme Tomorrow is prepared today. All were invited to step outside their comfort zone, think differently through various activities and learn more about the concept of innovation.
Interdepartmental rally
During this week, employees could participate in a rally to collect points for their respective departments and develop innovative reflexes. In particular, by taking on challenges such as choosing a new means of transportation, supporting the event by adding a promotional banner to their email signature or simply doing something unusual.
Let’s experience failure together
A workshop to look at failure differently. Since innovation is acquired through experimentation, participants took up the Marshmallow Challenge, an activity where teams had to create a structure with spaghetti, marshmallow, string and scotch tape in two attempts. After a first attempt, feedback allowed them to adjust their strategy. The results were impressive! In fact, a team that failed at the first try won with the highest structure. We do learn from our mistakes!
Creativity : a muscle to train
A workshop to discover and, above all, to put into practice problem-solving tools and basic techniques to understand the importance of divergence and convergence, while respecting the rules inherent of these principles. An enriching experience to discover unexplored methods for solving a problem with synergy.
Open forum on innovation
Invited to a dinner, participants joined in various discussions on the initiative process implemented by MediSolution and on everyone’s concerns about it. The committee also presented a collaborative project to review its practices and make the necessary adjustments to broaden the involvement of each employee in innovation.
Lego Serious Play
The Lego Serious Play methodology is an experimental process, a reflection and problem-solving method designed to enhance team performance and stimulate creative ideas. A fun activity where reasoning, communication and strategic planning were at the heart of the problems proposed on real-time situations. The experience was very significant and beyond expectations.
Innovation library
To become better learners, the committee launched a library with books on innovation and creativity. A participatory approach where employees can also enrich the library by adding personal books on the subject.
The know-how at the service of innovation
An inspiring conference focused on developing the spirit of innovation and presented by Olivier Fortier, specialist in organizational culture, the right to mistakes and the lowering of the centre of gravity of decision-making power. This former manager outlined four important themes:
- Agency or Empowerment 2.0
- The colossal impact of leader-leader relationships
- How to develop the power of influence in 3 steps
- How to transform intangible ideas into tangible initiatives
Closing lunch
To end the innovation week, a festive dinner was offered to MediSolution employees during which rally winners were announced.
A word from our director
This was undoubtedly a successful event. MediSolution employees were not afraid to sometimes go out of their comfort zone and use their creativity, sometimes to learn about innovation and above all to have fun. Participation was beyond expectations. We saw competitiveness, but above all team spirit, commitment and a contagious synergy. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said, “To be a man is to feel, when setting one’s stone, that one is contributing to the building of the world.” We are convinced that today we planted seeds for our future. “I would like to thank each and every one for their participation in doing things differently. The success of this week is yours!”
– Lyne Maurice, Innovation Director
Interested in innovation?
View our job opportunities on the Harris website to join a dynamic team!