Well, not exactly….
Like many of you, I was fascinated by the SpaceX Falcon rocket launch earlier in June. The potential for individuals to purchase tickets to travel into space in the near term is amazing…though the $1M+ price tag would likely stretch many relocation budgets!
At IOR’s midyear Strategy Meetings last week, our team participated in a series of collaborative innovation exercises. The point is to get everyone thinking beyond the current market and service offerings to generate new ideas. In one exercise, each team was given a headline and had to write the press release for that headline. Each group then presented their “press releases” to the broader team, many using quite entertaining formats (like news programs and radio announcers)
Given all the problems we are having here on planet earth, a few of the headlines seemed pretty appealing but stretched the boundaries a bit, such as IOR Manages the First Interplanetary Relocation.
So, what does intergalactic relocation look like? While some of the ideas may still be 50+ years away, they could signal where we are going near-term.
Consider this idea: Meet your Destination Consultant, Hologram Holly.
Virtual Destination Services have taken off during the pandemic. But virtual DS Consultants? Artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) are being used widely in many industries right now. Think about a virtual Consultant conducting “in person” pre-departure services anywhere in the world. It’s not crazy…and can add significant value to the assignee experience.
What about our Space-paced Programs?
The 2-year Martian language program while you travel to Mars. Is that for year 2075? Maybe, but with many would-be assignees on hold given travel and visa restrictions, why not begin Language Training in your home country now so you can hit the ground running? Or Cultural Training / Coaching for assignees that have begun their new international roles remotely while not leaving their country? They still face the same cultural adaption challenges, and maybe even more so, while working remotely with their host country teams while still at home.
The ideas generated during our annual Strategy meeting create a new way of thinking about our programs and let us step back from the mentality of “this is just how we do it”. Technology is key to innovation, but it does not equal innovation. At IOR, we split the Technology and Innovation roles this year to ensure innovation focuses on enhancing the assignee experience, working smarter and more efficiently, and creating new programs to meet emerging needs of clients and assignees. Our quarterly innovation workshops aim to keep everyone in the company focused on always thinking about new ways of doing business and create a culture where new and exciting ideas have an audience.
