Why women's perspective is crucial in innovation and creativity for business.

Advent of Digital revolution, inclusive culture and equal opportunity to all has remarkably increased representation of women across diverse industries. This shift in paradigm has resulted in improved financial status, purchasing capacity and significant rise in confidence to make decisions for their family and society at large. This has also ushered a welcome change in the consumer world across the globe with many leading brands introducing products that are women centric based on their interests, comfort and forward thinking.

The ability of a woman to address any issue or ideate based on both Intelligent and Emotional quotients equally, is a good enough reason for organisations to engage more women workforce to understand the behavioural, emotional states of consumers. By valuing their intelligence, creative thought process and encouraging them to think out of the box to grow, will help cater to diverse consumer needs across businesses. Today, women are more informed to make independent decisions unlike 50 years ago, to buy products which suit their interests, but the industry still lacks diversity to entice this growing female consumer base.

I remember 5 years ago as a first-time car buyer I had to browse through websites, car magazines, customer reviews and take numerous test drives before deciding. I was only certain of the colour and my budget and felt overwhelmed by the details like engine capacity, fuel type, maintenance cost etc. It felt like a herculean task to narrow down given the plethora of options. Thankfully I had handy help from family, friends and the customer friendly dealer who helped me finalise my decision.

Had the information been simple, articulated in a way to introduce the consumer to the Technical jargon's in a better way, it would have been easy to make the decision especially for first-time buyers. In Indian consumer market where the number of female drivers is still low but steadily increasing it would make sense for businesses to have their websites, apps and stores tailored for new female drivers who are willing to invest in a car.

In the current climate, Businesses cannot rely on the brick and mortar stores to attract the large female consumer base which has generated high demand and needs the “Touch of a woman” to market, advertise and attract. The blind spots in digital adoption are to predict the customer demographics who visit websites or access Apps. Hence, it's imperative that the offerings should appeal to all customer irrespective of their gender, age, financial status etc. Many successful brands have engaged women to lead from the front to innovative and develop cost-effective products and services with their high emotional quotient to easily relate to those on the other side.

However, there is still meagre participation to innovate, share creative ideas from this large section of population. The fear of being judged, scrutinized and times lack of encouragement on the perspective shared in the business domains are few of the reasons or prejudices for most, to actively contribute at various stages needs to change. Recognizing women representation in Product Design, Marketing of Products or Services needs more push making it comfortable for women to share their insights on a social platform.

Like many others, I too, had this view of women not being comfortable to share thoughts or take up difficult roles in sectors like Defence, Marines, Mountaineering, Refineries where the demand for physical and mental fitness are high. Pleasantly, I was proven wrong after a visit to remote Cairngorm Reindeer centre in Aviemore, the Scottish Highlands where extreme weather with rough terrain is common. To my surprise the centre was run by a young and enthusiastic women’s team taking care of hundreds of reindeer's like their own children. The female caretaker took me to the mountains to introduce and spend the day with the reindeer, which was truly inspiring. This experience and countless others broke my own preconceptions on the role of women in the new age world and their hidden capabilities.

Traditionally, world over, women have always been resilient in running their families’ regardless of formal education. They have used their creativity and emotional intelligence to find ways from difficult situations. Closer home the small-scale handloom weavers, the milk women supplying milk to Amul, Gujrat and Mahila Bachat gat or women self-help groups have scalded heights through innovation, creativity and evolving business models suitable to the local market. There is no lack of talent or wisdom, what lacks is the encouragement and the right platforms to showcase their talent and be recognised.

Progressive forward thinking from top managements and conscious efforts to get more women on board is welcoming and has helped open more avenues for those aspiring to be in positions to make the difference. What is now required is more willingness and interest from Female associates to don new roles to bring in change while balancing their personal responsibilities and career, which comes quite naturally to them.

We stand to gain more if we start from the foundation to encourage entry level graduates who are vibrant, technology oriented and enthusiastic to come up with innovative ideas and challenge the status quo. Mindful that they also form a large base of young consumers who scout for good products and services and will grow significantly in future. The culture that women are not inclined to innovate or ideate because it’s too technical and complex needs to end for good. It’s not that an idea should be path breaking or generate profits from the word go. Even a single step towards solving a persistent problem differently is Innovation.

As Brigham Young rightly said, “Educate a man, you educate a man. You educate a woman, you educate a generation”. A woman's perspective is certainly crucial more than ever for growth and success for years to come, the question is how soon we get on and get going.