WHY WOMEN SHOULD BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF INNOVATION
By Lisa Hayes
Diversity adds dimension and perspective, which in turn drive creative thinking. Women can approach problems and interact differently than men, opening channels of thought that could otherwise be missed. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we spoke to women across RELX to explore how their unique perspectives help drive innovation.
YOGA RAGHAVARAJU — DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT STRATEGY RISK: USA
Upon joining the company in 2014, I knew I had come to the right place. Innovation is one of the core values at RELX, and leading innovation is one of my strongest suits. This befitting environment led me to be recognized for Smart Innovation with the Health Care organization and then to be part of the RELX Innovation Honor Roll.
Innovation starts with the customer; it’s having a deep understanding of customers’ pain points and solving them in order to help them achieve their mission. Innovation doesn’t have to be about building big platforms or products. It can be about the small things, like identifying problems that hinder productivity and coming up with solutions that provide a clear value or benefit.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ROLE MODELS
Taking initiative, establishing stretch goals, having a desire to help others and demonstrating resilience are among the many traits that make women naturally good at innovating. Obstacles and unique challenges do occur for women, and you need to steadily pursue your goals and have an enormous drive to continue forward in times of distress. In addition, to keep advancing you need to deliver results when making excuses is an option and be willing to lead when no one is willing to follow you yet.
Being a mom of two young children, among other things, doesn’t make it easy for me to be leading large-scale initiatives while fulfilling my family duties to my satisfaction. But my innate desire to be a role model for my children and to inspire younger generations and women alike, fuel my energy to make a difference through my contributions.
“Innovation doesn’t have to be about building big platforms or products. It can be about the small things.” Yoga Raghavaraju
KATIE SCRANTON — DATA SCIENCE LEAD
SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL & MEDICAL: USA
I’m passionate about working on hard, complex problems with smart, creative colleagues.
Our incredibly talented group of technologists builds products that drive the future of healthcare so that clinicians have the knowledge and tools to allow them to make the most informed decisions and help their patients get the best care.
ALLIES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
In my experience, the key to innovation is making sure my voice is heard and my ideas are listened to. As a culture, we don’t always make room for everyone to openly share ideas in a group; sometimes the people who feel most comfortable and confident dominate the conversation.
One thing that has helped me share my ideas are the allies who intentionally make space for everyone’s voices. One recent example was a meeting leader who specifically asked for questions or comments from those who hadn’t spoken yet, telling others to hold their thoughts. Another example was in a meeting where I was the only woman. A senior male colleague saw me repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempting to speak, so he interjected and asked me for my opinion. I think it’s vital for everyone to do the work to create an inclusive environment, not just women.
Another thing that has helped me is to seek out collaborators and advisors. If you have a new idea, start working through it and figuring out the details. Discuss it with your peers and listen to feedback. Talk to people in more senior positions who have also thought about this same problem and will see the value in your solution. Finding people who make space for innovative ideas from a wide range of people can make all the difference.
“Finding people who make space for innovative ideas… can make all the difference.” Katie Scranton
CAROLINE GÓES — GLOBAL HEAD OF DIGITAL DATA & DATA PRODUCTS EXHIBITIONS: BRAZIL
I thrive on empowering other people to improve their work and their customers’ outcomes through data. Combining data, technology and the human element is fundamental for transforming organizations. People can create, act, respond, evolve and make anything better based on facts. I love it when other teams succeed because our data drove them in the right direction.
COLLABORATION IS KEY
I believe that success through innovation is about the people. Innovation is about unlocking the creativity in people so they can make anything better and find new ways of solving current situations. I call them “situations” rather than “issues” because they may not necessarily be a problem.
Collaboration is key because a team can approach a situation from different angles. In Exhibitions, we have many examples of innovation through collaboration, from our matchmaking capabilities that connect visitors with exhibitors to comprehensive exhibitor dashboards that give exhibitors performance metrics at trade shows. By combining the diverse views from the technology and business sides of the organization, we have been able to innovate quickly.
Diversity is present across the business through real actions. As a leader, I must be aware of any potential unconscious bias and focus on diversity, and as a woman I feel protected, encouraged, motivated and respected. Women often feel they are not good enough, especially those of us working in technology, but when you work for a company that celebrates Ada Lovelace Day (an idol for me), creates a Women in Tech Mentorship Program, celebrates Navaratri or the Chinese New Year, cares about your health, and provides full support for the growth of its employees, you know you are in the right place. As a Latin American woman, all those actions empower me to be whatever I aspire to.
“Innovation is about unlocking the creativity in people.” Caroline Góes
CHRISTIANE BARRANGUET — STRATEGIC SERVICES DIRECTOR SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL & MEDICAL: THE NETHERLANDS
When I started as a scientist in the nineties, making a career in academia in the Northern hemisphere was not without extra challenges if you were a woman from the Global South. Luckily, the issue of gender balance is now being addressed in the open with documented evidence, and the need for gender equality is universally recognized.
EVERYTHING FLOWS
Innovation is best represented by panta rhei, a philosophy attributed to Heraclitus meaning “everything flows.” In an environment where nothing is ever static, and the picture is never finished, innovation is the driving force of change. By seeking innovation, we create significant connections, and the new emerges. Paradoxically, while innovation is often perceived as risky, it is the essence of survival, improvement and creation. Inertia is a first-class ticket to extinction.
I feel exhilarated when I can visualize how to articulate a change, which often results from collaboration. For example, I had the privilege of helping Dr Márcia Balisciano, Global Head of Corporate Responsibility at RELX, create the RELX Environmental Challenge, a competition aimed to fund small, community-engrained projects that allow water-scarce communities access to safer water and sanitation.
More recently, together with a small group of super motivated colleagues, we created Strategic Services within Elsevier, which aims to produce highly customized, top-level reporting and consultation and improve our customer centricity in China. We empower customers to create data-driven strategies, showcase their strengths and attract funding. This project uses Elsevier’s existing analytic capabilities, databases and tools. Strategic Services hopes to bring new, additional elements to our value proposition, a better understanding of the market space and new points of engagement for customer outreach.
“Inertia is a first-class ticket to extinction.” Christiane Barranguet
REVONA GOVENDER — OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE
LEGAL: SOUTH AFRICA
I love the people collaboration that my role affords me. Everyone is interesting in their own right and bring uniqueness to the team and the organization. The success of our customers and how our solutions enable them to solve their own business challenges also bring me joy.
BUILDING A RAINBOW NATION
In South Africa, we coined the phrase “rainbow nation” to capture the diversity of our people. I find that a lack of diversity is a challenge to innovation. Having better representation of women brings so much more to the table. In certain fields, like Legal Tech, we don’t have enough women to balance the industry. My vision in this area is to have better representation of the diversity that exists in our country — basically to have a more balanced view. Our Human Resources team launched a CEO-sponsored, well-organized diversity and inclusion program that includes the Women’s Network and our Women in Tech graduate and mentorship program.
I think my challenges are very similar to other women at the table, and that is why it’s important to speak about them openly. We have to always be willing to lead by heart as it tends to drive us to the right decisions.
Women in the tech industry have to be bold and take chances to leap forward. It’s important not to let naysayers and your background dictate your future. A saying that has helped me attain success is “Don’t stagnate — innovate.” This is the mantra that I live by.
“Don’t stagnate — innovate.”Revona Govender
KERRIE ORME — DIRECTOR, GLOBAL CUSTOMER GROWTH, MARKETING AND COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
RISK: UK
My current role at XpertHR is hugely diverse, and I love it! It spans multiple disciplines and geographies, which create the opportunity to get involved with many aspects of the business. I’m passionate about people and workplace experiences. One of the best parts of my job is contributing to the creation of a diverse and dynamic environment for our employees to continue to engage, grow and deliver in.
REFLECT, LEARN, COLLABORATE
Underpinning XpertHR’s success is a culture of continuous improvement. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be involved in a number of transformative projects, with the most recent innovations putting data front and centre. As a “data first” business, we are continually looking for solutions that allow us to have a holistic view of the customer so that we can translate key insights into maximizing our customers’ experience.
Businesses need to promote innovation with employees. We are all guilty at times of being head down in daily activities, and that can really stifle the ability to think differently. Innovation requires a totally different head space, so make it acceptable for your teams to step away and allow them the capacity to reflect, learn and collaborate.
Longer term, businesses need to work towards creating a culture where curiosity is a mindset and where positively challenging the way things are done is not just acceptable but encouraged. This is a culture that promotes experimentation and supports learning through failure. When businesses are serious about innovating, this sentiment is reflected in company values and regularly communicated by leadership.
“Businesses need to work towards creating a culture where curiosity is a mindset.” Kerrie Orme
