#59 - Nic Umana | Mars | Activating Human Intelligence for Global Agile Innovation

Innovation Rockstars

“We try to get our people attached to the learning rather than the outcome. It's not a failure if you decide to kill your project. In fact, we celebrate that.”

In this episode, we are delighted to welcome Nic Umana, Global Agile Innovation Human Intelligence Director at Mars. Having worked at Mars for more than two decades, the self-proclaimed "chaos pilot" has gained a wealth of experience within the company, which she now brings to her role by putting people at the heart of innovation.

In this entertaining conversation, we delve into Nic's approach to innovation and get an inside look at the agile innovation model recently implemented at Mars. In addition, we also discuss the challenges of implementing agile innovation across a global organization, and learn how to strike the perfect balance between data-driven decision-making and human-centered innovation. So put on your headphones and get ready for an insightful journey into activating human intelligence for global agile innovation. The episode at a glance:

Getting to know Nic:

• Who is Nic? (00:01:53)
• Nic, please complete the 3 sentence starters… (00:03:39)

Human Intelligence:

• How to explain the job of a Global Agile Innovation Human Intelligence Director in a way that granny and grandpa will understand? (00:07:19)
• What's the deal with the self-proclaimed Chaos Pilot? (00:08:04)
• What's the secret of balancing the need for data-driven decision-making with the importance of keeping humans at the center of innovation? (00:09:18)
• What are the benefits of this approach, both for people and for the organization? (00:12:04)
• In light of recent developments driven by artificial intelligence: What's the role of humans in the innovation process evolving? (00:14:37)
• What are the key skills and attributes when building teams, considering future changes in skill requirements? (00:17:12)
• Will AI, or at least data-driven approaches, strongly influence human decision-making in the future? (00:18:47)

The “Either-Or” game (00:22:26)

Human Intelligence Cont’d:

• Nic on the challenges and lessons learned in implementing agile innovation across a global organization, and how to adapt to different cultures and working styles (00:27:50)
• How might other global companies embrace human intelligence and the process age of innovation? (00:32:05)
• Is the question of return on innovation a question that was asked at the top management level at Mars? (00:36:12)

Closing:

• Nic’s 3 actionable key recommendations from this episode (00:38:47)
• Looking back: Nic’s Innovation Rockstar moment (00:41:09)

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