– Innovation is a bit of an odd concept, I think. Particularly when you think about how much it’s used in conversation,’ Lena says.
She views innovation as a mixture of creativity, experimentation, risk taking and collaboration, all aimed at pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Part of her job involves supporting innovation projects and creating an innovation culture in the company.
– Innovation is often seen as something big and complex, but if we start thinking about our own actions and are open to new ideas, we’ve already come a long way. Small steps and curiosity are often enough to trigger innovative ideas,’ she says.
Lena has many years’ experience in innovation, including as Innovation Lead. In her previous job, she travelled around the world to see how different countries approached innovation and entrepreneurship. This knowledge will come in useful again in her new role at Lerøy, an international company with operations in several countries and a very diverse workforce. One thing she has realised is that the language used is extremely important. You have to be able to express yourself in the language you choose, but always with collaboration in focus.
– This is why I put a lot of emphasis on getting to know people and understanding their perspectives,’ she adds.
Lena herself uses a different ‘language’, namely her own illustrations. For her, this is as much about structuring her own thoughts as being able to communicate them. She uses illustrations to explain difficult concepts in an accessible way.
– When people talk about complex issues using technical terminology, it can quickly become confusing for others to keep up. Drawings or illustrations can simplify complex issues.
She hopes that others will wake up to this way of working, but finds that many people get too hung up on how things look. People are worried about not being creative enough, but there is no need for things to be perfect. The aim is to share ideas with one another.
– The visual can be a common language that everyone understands. In visual form, you can more easily see the elements that are unclear.
As a relative newcomer at Lerøy, she is also keen to get the company’s employees on board.
– It’s important to me that people don’t feel I’m coming in and telling them they’re doing “everything wrong”, because we’re doing a good job, and there’s lots of innovation happening here. It’s more about offering guidance to help them become even more innovative and bring the right people together.
In 2023 Lena held the first ‘innovation camp’ with Oslo-based innovation consultancy Æra. She gathered 16 key individuals from across the Lerøy Group, who gained important insights into different types of innovation, working methods, trends and ways of thinking, and were inspired to work on and lead innovation.
– It was a great success! I’ve collected feedback from all the participants and I’m using it to improve this year’s innovation camp.
The plan is for a camp for managers to be held each year, and Lena considers it important that the participants come from a range of backgrounds. As well as the innovation camps, she plans to set up creative workshops, large and small, for employees. She is also working with HR to develop innovation training for all employees.
Building and maintaining an innovation culture is no easy job with a workforce of 6000. At times Lena can become stressed and finds herself wishing she could work faster, so that she could help everyone more effectively.
– I can’t help 6000 employees on my own. There are many plans and ideas floating around, and I hope there will be even more. Then we will be able to implement multiple initiatives that build a good innovation culture and progress multiple projects.
With a Group that is constantly growing, she needs more people to help her in this role. The plan is therefore that Lena will appoint someone who will work to achieve the same goals. When all is said and done, she explains, her job is about inspiring and encouraging people to see things from a different angle, so that they can get out of their comfort zone.
– Taking different paths and exploring alternative solutions requires courage and curiosity, and it’s something many people need to be pushed to do, she explains.
As Team Manager Innovation, Lena has clear ideas about how she would like to do things.
– I’ve always thought I want to lead by example, she finishes.
