On May 20, we spoke with Giulio Quaggiotto, currently an advisor to the MBR Center for Government Innovation in the United Arab Emirates, where the Ministry of Possibilities is being incubated. During the dialogue, our guest discussed the portfolio approach as a tool to enable systemic innovation, highlighting the importance of managing uncertainty in the face of complex problems.
To do so, he stressed the importance of using innovative methods such as the creation of small pilots and interconnected experimental projects. These allow organizations to test new ideas and approaches in a controlled manner, minimizing risk and increasing the likelihood of long-term success.The meeting began with an introduction of the guest and the central theme of the dialogue by Carlos Mataix, director of itdUPM. Giulio Quaggiotto started his speech with the inspiring personal story of Piyush Tewari, founder of SaveLIFE Foundation, a project that has managed to reduce traffic accident deaths in India. Through different tools and the management of uncertainty, the promoter of this initiative managed to address the complex problem of the high rate of traffic fatalities in his country and innovate to achieve results never before achieved in India, even reflected in new public policies.
Based on this case, our guest talked about how to innovatively address a complex problem, including collaboration between different actors and impact measurement.
“Managing change in institutions and organizational systems is not easy and it is very common to encounter obstacles of all kinds,” he said. And this is often because of the difficulties inherent in bureaucracy, which can often be resistant to change due to its structured nature and the inertia of its established processes. “This is why,” explained Giulio Quaggiotto, “it is very important to change approaches and structures to solve complex and systemic problems”.
To do so, he stressed the importance of using innovative methods such as the creation of small pilots and interconnected experimental projects. These allow organizations to test new ideas and approaches in a controlled manner, minimizing risk and increasing the likelihood of long-term success.
Quaggiotto then explored the difference between uncertainty and risk as a central issue in managing organizational change and innovation under the portfolio approach. “Risk refers to future events that can be known and quantified, uncertainty implies the lack of information or the impossibility of fully foreseeing outcomes,” he explained.
Uncertainty is an unavoidable reality in complex and dynamic environments, where factors such as technology, economics and politics can change rapidly. Unlike risk, which can be managed through mitigation strategies and planning, uncertainty presents additional challenges due to its unpredictable nature.
Quaggiotto then argued that effective uncertainty management requires a more flexible and adaptive approach, allowing organizations to respond nimbly to changes in the environment. Rather than trying to eliminate uncertainty altogether, organizations must learn to live with it and develop capabilities to manage it effectively.
In this sense, he emphasized the importance of organizations adopting an experimental mindset, prototyping different projects, being flexible and adaptable. “It is precisely this experimentation that can help reduce uncertainty by providing data and feedback that assists in decision making,” he concluded.
On May 20, we spoke with Giulio Quaggiotto, currently an advisor to the MBR Center for Government Innovation in the United Arab Emirates, where the Ministry of Possibilities is being incubated. During the dialogue, our guest discussed the portfolio approach as a tool to enable systemic innovation, highlighting the importance of managing uncertainty in the face of complex problems.
The meeting began with an introduction of the guest and the central theme of the dialogue by Carlos Mataix, director of itdUPM. Giulio Quaggiotto started his speech with the inspiring personal story of Piyush Tewari, founder of SaveLIFE Foundation, a project that has managed to reduce traffic accident deaths in India. Through different tools and the management of uncertainty, the promoter of this initiative managed to address the complex problem of the high rate of traffic fatalities in his country and innovate to achieve results never before achieved in India, even reflected in new public policies.
Based on this case, our guest talked about how to innovatively address a complex problem, including collaboration between different actors and impact measurement.
“Managing change in institutions and organizational systems is not easy and it is very common to encounter obstacles of all kinds,” he said. And this is often because of the difficulties inherent in bureaucracy, which can often be resistant to change due to its structured nature and the inertia of its established processes. “This is why,” explained Giulio Quaggiotto, “it is very important to change approaches and structures to solve complex and systemic problems”.
To do so, he stressed the importance of using innovative methods such as the creation of small pilots and interconnected experimental projects. These allow organizations to test new ideas and approaches in a controlled manner, minimizing risk and increasing the likelihood of long-term success.
Quaggiotto then explored the difference between uncertainty and risk as a central issue in managing organizational change and innovation under the portfolio approach. “Risk refers to future events that can be known and quantified, uncertainty implies the lack of information or the impossibility of fully foreseeing outcomes,” he explained.
Uncertainty is an unavoidable reality in complex and dynamic environments, where factors such as technology, economics and politics can change rapidly. Unlike risk, which can be managed through mitigation strategies and planning, uncertainty presents additional challenges due to its unpredictable nature.
Quaggiotto then argued that effective uncertainty management requires a more flexible and adaptive approach, allowing organizations to respond nimbly to changes in the environment. Rather than trying to eliminate uncertainty altogether, organizations must learn to live with it and develop capabilities to manage it effectively.
In this sense, he emphasized the importance of organizations adopting an experimental mindset, prototyping different projects, being flexible and adaptable. “It is precisely this experimentation that can help reduce uncertainty by providing data and feedback that assists in decision making,” he concluded.
+34 910 67 13 97 | itd@upm.es
Av.Complutense s/n. Ciudad
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© itdUPM 2024 | Centro de Innovación en Tecnología para el Desarrollo Humano. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. | by Marmarru Studio
+34 910 67 13 97 | itd@upm.es
Av.Complutense s/n. Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (España)
© itdUPM 2024 | Centro de Innovación en Tecnología para el Desarrollo Humano. | by Marmarru Studio
