Boundary Riders

A Boundary rider is an Australian term for a cattle station employee, akin to a cowboy, whose duty is to check the outer perimeter—the boundary—of the property and report anything out of the ordinary back to management. They work independently and are known for their resilience and reliability.

Utilizing the tool of a 'boundary rider' culture within the organization is simple: we meet your team, select individuals for their character, and provide a program of Sirolli skills training along with on-the-job supervision.

It requires commitment from management to consciously lift cultural sanctions against looking outside the corporate cubicle and hierarchy, encouraging employees to venture and 'report anything out of the ordinary'.

We can guide you to identify and build an innovation oasis, training your team to work in a creative and fulfilling work environment. In essence, we empower your existing specialized team within the organization to lead social and industrial tech innovation efforts by providing them with what they need to succeed quickly and methodically.

The Boundary Riders social technology

Ernesto's three years of research while writing a book on Boundary Riders and studying how Corporations innovate is demonstrated clearly through three principles: The Joy Law, The Hagel Edge, and The Drucker Paradox.

The “Joy Law,” coined by Bill Joy of Sun Microsystems, suggests that most of the smartest people work outside any given corporation, making internal searches for innovation somewhat counterproductive. However, it's essential to seek passionate intrapreneurs and innovators within, trained to look beyond the inner circle, regardless of the company's size. John Hagel from Deloitte's “Center for the Edge” highlights that true innovation only thrives at the market's edges - areas ripe with potential, friction, and unmet needs far removed from corporate boardrooms.

It's in these peripheral zones where passionate, low-budget experimentation leads to groundbreaking and often disruptive ideas. Corporations can empower their people to use the Boundary Rider approach to scout for these marginal yet potentially valuable innovations to ensure market survival. The Drucker Paradox points out the inherent contradiction between traditional planning and the nature of innovation and entrepreneurship. Innovation must be decentralized, specific, and start on a small scale, emphasizing that innovation opportunities often arise not with force but subtly, “Innovation arrives not with the tempest but with the rustle of the breeze.” In essence, adopting Boundary Riding skills enables companies of all sizes to spot and nurture innovative ideas wherever they may be, offering a strategic advantage in today's fast-paced, ever-changing market landscape.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

As part of our core promises, our principle of engagement is to only go where invited, ensuring that the people we work with are passionate and self-determined. We firmly believe that the future of any community lies in harnessing the passion, imagination, and resources of its people. This belief underpins our approach to facilitation, as we strive to uncover the beauty and potential within organizations and communities, fostering environments where innovative ideas not only have permission but are encouraged and lead to sustainable growth and development.

Why Boundary Riders for your company?

Boundary Riders could accelerate its existing innovation trajectory, ensuring that the company not only responds to current market trends but also anticipates the future needs of your industry.

It's an easy transition to include this system to capture the passion, energy, and imagination of its "intrapreneurs," i.e., the most entrepreneurial of its own associates, supply chain, and stakeholders, empowering them to become innovation 'scouts' for creative solutions that result in sustainable growth, collaboration, continuous improvement of processes and products, and a positive environmental impact. The Boundary Riders methodology offers a visionary, safe, low-cost, streamlined way to discover, assess, and eventually adopt viable new technologies utilizing existing and extensive network.

Why Innovation Matters

As Ernesto says, 'you have to continue to 'fly the plane' while at the same time scout the horizon. As soon as you identify an opportunity or a problem, the quicker you can prepare to respond.' According to studies by McKinsey and Accenture, a high percentage of executives believe their current business models are at risk of being disrupted in the near future and consider innovation crucial to their growth strategy.

Furthermore, the most innovative companies show significantly higher revenue and growth compared to their less innovative counterparts. These figures underscore the critical importance of innovation in maintaining competitiveness and long-term success in today's market. Here are three compelling statistics that answer why you should care about making innovation efforts and why they often do not work: 80% of executives think their current business models are at risk of disruption in the near future, highlighting the urgent need for innovation to adapt and thrive in the evolving market landscape (McKinsey). 84% of executives say that innovation is important to their growth strategy, indicating a widespread recognition of innovation's role in driving business success and staying ahead of the competition (Accenture). Despite the recognized importance of innovation, only 6% of executives are satisfied with their company's innovation performance, suggesting a significant gap between the aspiration for innovation and the ability to execute it effectively (McKinsey Global Innovation Survey). '87% of CEOs Say Sustainable Development Goals at Risk: Accenture, UNGC Survey'

What we have heard and these stats reveal is a clear message: while the necessity of innovation and sustainability is broadly acknowledged among business leaders, there is often a disconnect in successfully implementing and benefiting from innovation initiatives. Facilitation is an applied discipline to streamline team innovation initiatives.

Boundary Riders: Our Approach

Sirolli´s Boundary Riders streamlines innovation within organizations through the following steps:

Based on our unique approach and the principles that guide our work, companies should consider partnering with us for three key reasons:

• Targeted Engagement: Our commitment to "only go where you are invited" ensures that we engage with organizations in a respectful and purposeful manner. This approach guarantees that our work with you is welcome and collaborative, and we bring with us our global network of innovators which you join. International contacts add value.

• Passion-Driven Codesign: We prioritize aligning ourselves with clients who are deeply committed to success and impact. Our engagements are more than just projects; they are partnerships with people who possess a deep drive to improve their organizations and communities. This shared commitment makes our work together especially effective.

• Community and Organizational Transformation: With three stages of engagement, we can reach first the potential of your people, then your artisanal and industrial supply chain, and at a significant level, see innovation culture as a standard .