Innovation Definition:
What does innovation mean to us? It is recognizing challenges and opportunities, and addressing them in new ways that add value to our customers and add value to Ballard. We generate creative ideas, big and small, and refine them into improvements in the way we do business; in the products we sell; and in the solutions we provide to our customers.
Our Innovation Vision
Ballard must continue and increase innovation to be clean energy thought leaders, with unparalleled ability to develop innovative clean energy solutions to emergent market needs, generating growth revenue, valuable intellectual property, and world leading know-how, with an engaged, energized, and diverse work force
Why?
- Because we believe we have the Power to Change the World!
- To make the world a better place for our children and grand-children
- Innovation is an inherent and necessary part of technological change
- Companies that innovate are more successful and are better places to work
- To support an energized and motivated work force
How?
Ballard Innovation Culture is inherent in our daily work and technology and product advances. However, we also set aside specific time for innovation initiatives, such as our Challenge Solving Innovation Session, held two times a year.
What is this session?
- A focussed activity to drive strategic innovation and identify process improvements
- 2 x half days of innovating + a report out session
- An effective, efficient, innovative, fun, team building event with lots of great ideas produced and implemented
At the end of the event, teams report out in a rapid fire series of presentations. The audience votes for their favourite project, and the top team receives the fame and glory of the People’s Choice Award. Subsequently, the Management team will meet later to pick a short list of projects to receive “Genius Grants” - time and budget to continue the work.