Self-disrupt to innovate: Diageo’s story

The launch of Diageo’s new team dedicated to ‘breakthrough innovation’ comes with a catch, the team will not be creating new products.

Why?

Well, for Guy Middleton, Diageo’s Global Breakthrough Innovation Director, the company must learn to focus on more than just “liquid in a bottle” if it wishes to continue to innovate and grow. This new team will be at the heart of that belief.

Consequently, Middleton wants this new team to be at the forefront of self-disruption within the company, forcing the business to look for new ways to bring value to the business that goes beyond its core.

How?

The new team has been tasked by Middleton to use foresight rather than insight, to assess a probable future for the company, meaning what is most likely to happen if things remain on a consistent trajectory. The team will also be analysing what might happen in a potential future where disruptive forces come into play.

To ensure they’re better able to do this, the team is breaking down their analysis into three categories or impacts. 

First, they’re looking at direct impact, meaning what is driving the money into the till.

Second is indirect impact, the things that are making Diageo’s brands appear cooler to customers.

Third, the team will be looking at how they can make the customer experience more amazing, especially when it comes to their interaction with brands that are more than just liquid in a bottle.

By doing these things, Middleton hopes that the team will be able to help Diageo take possible ideas and apply them throughout the broader organisation, showing all the while that these ideas are viable and will make the business better.