How can a small, very busy maritime engineering company maintain its innovative edge?

Glosten is a well-known name in maritime engineering, both for its rock-solid conventional engineering abilities and for its ability to innovate — think a ship that flips! Yet, the business environment is ever more competitive.  Figuring out how to structure innovation at this small company, to help retain their millennial workforce while continuing to excel — these were the focus of the firm’s leadership when they retained Somersault Consulting LLC.

MY CLIENT

Glosten provides naval architecture and marine engineering services that are innovative yet practical for clients across the marine industry. Visit Glosten.

MY WORK

• Facilitated an “Innovation Feasibility” workshop with the firm’s leadership and select staff, to identify realistic approaches to an innovation initiative, which could be incorporated into the firm’s heavy work flow.
• Consulted with the firm’s leadership about how to structure and staff the innovation initiative, given the pros and cons of existing employees
• Provided an approach for engaging all employees in the innovation initiative, to reinforce a culture of innovation and formalize structures and processes

RESULTS

• Insight gained by the firm’s leadership, that an innovation initiative COULD be done in incrementally, in ways the busy work flow could handle
• Enthusiasm built for the innovation initiative by the executives and staff who attended the Innovation Feasibility Workshop

The firm has since gone on to establish a process for employees to submit innovation ideas, construct a business case, and have executives routinely review the ideas for possible investment.