The importance of innovation

So why is it important for ZF to have events like Inspiration World? “To discover our talents and give our employees room to be innovative and have fun doing it,” explains Dr. Franz Kleiner, ZF board member and head of the company’s Active and Passive Safety Division. Sharing ideas and encouraging people to think outside of the box encourages innovation, a meaningful ingredient in any company’s success. “Innovation is the basis for further developing our products and further developing our lives,” Dr. Kleiner continues. “Without innovation, our society would not be where we are today, and we need it going forward.”

A major component of innovation is collaboration, inspiring people to share their thoughts and concepts and build upon each other’s. “Events like Inspiration World encourage us to share our ideas,” observes Paige McDaniel, powertrain engineer at ZF. “When you talk to other people about your ideas, you might combine them and make something great.”

As event participants gathered to explore, they were encouraged to share ways the company can improve. Since some of the best ideas come in the shower, the “Brain Shower” created an opportunity for colleagues and upper management to see, share and build upon ideas from employees throughout the company with literal blank walls on which to write feedback. As ZF’s employees are its greatest strength, that feedback is now being incorporated into process improvements, research and development, general management approaches and beyond. Creating an opportunity for discussion, feedback and creativity can often lead to the most innovative solutions.