AMMAN, JO

5:18 PM

WORK

INFO

Re-Inventing The Hotdog

Firm Wide Innovation Culture

Human-Centered Design

2024

Classified

While the name might sound absurd, the Hotdog sandwich was invented long before any modern day company did, to be precise, 1478. While the hotdog didn't change much from it's original form factor, the world of business did, profoundly. Some would estimate the change to be around 95%, what remains from that eras are Traditions, Foundations, The hotdog and Organizational silos.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, innovation is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Global consulting firms, with their extensive expertise across various industries, often face challenges when it comes to fostering innovation within their own walls. The presence of organizational silos and rigid structures inhibits cross-unit collaboration, limiting their ability to innovate and solve complex client problems. This project focuses on rethinking how consulting firms can reinvent their approach to innovation by breaking down these barriers.

Keywords

Innovation Management

Operation Design

Organizational models

In the Middle East, the need for organizational innovation is rapidly growing, particularly within strategy consulting firms. As the region undergoes significant economic shifts driven by ambitious national programs like Saudi Vision 2030 and the UAE’s Fourth Industrial Revolution strategy, consulting firms are being called upon to provide more than just traditional advisory services. They are expected to deliver innovative, technology-driven solutions that can support governments and private sectors in achieving their modernization goals. The regional business environment is becoming increasingly complex, with industries embracing digital transformation, sustainability initiatives, and economic diversification. In this context, consulting firms must innovate their internal processes, recruitment strategies, and service delivery models to remain competitive and relevant. This shift toward organizational innovation is critical for firms aiming to lead the market by providing not only strategic guidance but also actionable, forward-thinking solutions that drive long-term growth for clients. Innovation within these firms is becoming an essential differentiator, especially in a region that is positioning itself as a global hub for innovation and technology.

In Exhibit A we can see that the top 10 countries based on WIPO stats of 2023, despite the booming economy in the Middle East region and the mega projects carried out by Saudi, UAE and Qatar, the highest ranking ME country is Saudi, Ranked at 47 after climbing 12 ranks since 2019.

Exhibit B showcases the index for 4 major parameters, Innovation index based on Consultancy.Me rank for 2024, Number of clients, Staff Number and Lastly budget. The co-relation here is not clear as a thorough research needs to be carried out, but it is clear that Budget and staff number doesn't always mean higher innovation index. This mainly shows that there is a missed opportunity in multiple big consulting groups.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Despite the increasing demand for innovation, one of the most significant obstacles strategy consulting firms in the Middle East face is the existence of organizational silos. These silos prevent effective cross-unit collaboration, stifling creativity and the exchange of ideas. Instead of leveraging the diverse expertise of various business units, these firms often operate in a fragmented manner, with teams working in isolation and focusing narrowly on their immediate objectives. This disjointed approach not only limits the firm’s overall innovative capacity but also hinders its ability to offer holistic solutions to the complex and multi-dimensional challenges faced by clients in the region. Additionally, many consulting firms have not modernized their talent acquisition processes to attract candidates who possess strong innovation potential. Traditional recruitment practices prioritize technical skills and industry knowledge over creativity and problem-solving abilities. As a result, firms are often missing out on hiring individuals who could bring fresh perspectives and drive innovation. This lack of alignment between the firm’s internal structures and the rapidly changing market landscape is a critical problem that must be addressed for these firms to thrive in the competitive Middle Eastern consulting market. To overcome these barriers and foster a culture of innovation, this project proposes a comprehensive organizational framework that integrates AI technologies, revamps the hiring process, and establishes an Innovation Acceleration Center (IAC) within consulting firms.

The first component involves the implementation of an AI-powered project alignment system that analyzes existing and upcoming projects across business units, identifying potential areas for collaboration and scope expansion. By breaking down organizational silos and facilitating cross-functional teamwork, the AI system enhances the firm’s ability to innovate and generate new solutions by leveraging the collective expertise of its various units. The second component focuses on revamping the hiring process to prioritize innovation potential. This will involve using structured innovation assessments during recruitment to evaluate candidates not just on their technical proficiency but also on their ability to think creatively, solve complex problems, and collaborate effectively across functions. Finally, the Innovation Acceleration Center (IAC) will serve as a dedicated hub for nurturing high-potential ideas, providing a structured environment where innovative concepts can be tested, refined, and implemented. The IAC will offer mentorship, resources, and a clear pathway for moving ideas from conception to implementation, ensuring that the firm has a steady pipeline of innovative projects that align with both market needs and client demands. One of the main goals to this system is to create operation framework highways, collaboration between different business units on a wide range projects powered by Ai means there's infinite possibilities to how each project could be worked on. However, a successful operational model for a certain type of projects will mean creating a new way to doing this type of projects, which will mean increased productivity and will drive better results, until a new framework gets discovered.

Exhibit C

Exhibit D

Exhibit C Showcases a simplified Operation model for multiple business units at once, While Exhibit D shows an updated framework using the Ai Multi-Dimensional Innovation system.

From an innovation perspective, the anticipated outcomes of this framework are transformative and far-reaching. By breaking down the barriers imposed by silos and fostering cross-functional collaboration, consulting firms will be able to generate more dynamic, integrated solutions that meet the complex demands of clients in the Middle East. The AI-powered project alignment tool will facilitate seamless communication and collaboration between business units, allowing for more innovative approaches to problem-solving and service delivery. The revamped hiring process will attract a more diverse and innovation-driven workforce, bringing fresh perspectives into the firm and ensuring that the organization is equipped to tackle emerging challenges. The Innovation Acceleration Center (IAC) will further catalyze the firm’s innovative capacity by providing a dedicated space for experimentation, allowing employees to explore new ideas without the constraints of traditional business unit silos. As a result, consulting firms will not only improve their internal innovation processes but will also position themselves as leaders in the competitive strategy consulting landscape, delivering groundbreaking, client-centric solutions that drive growth, efficiency, and transformation across the Middle East and beyond.

Re-inventing the Hotdog is a vision more than a project. It's a living system that will allow companies to Innovate from within, at a large scale.

Curious about the project thesis? Drop me an email

Curious about
the project thesis?
Drop me an email

Exhibit C

Exhibit D

The Broken-Window Framework

▶▶▶

Work

All Work

Innovation Design

Strategy

Adidas

▶▶▶

Work

Adidas

▶▶▶

Work

Exhibit C Showcases a simplified Operation model for multiple business units at once, While Exhibit D shows an updated framework using the Ai Multi-Dimensional Innovation system.

Re-inventing the Hotdog is a vision more than a project. It's a living system that will allow companies to Innovate from within, at a large scale.

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, innovation is a critical driver of competitive advantage, especially for global consulting firms. Despite their vast expertise, these firms often face challenges in fostering cross-unit collaboration due to organizational silos. This thesis presents a comprehensive organizational framework designed to accelerate innovation across various business units within a leading consulting firm. The proposed system integrates artificial intelligence (AI) for project alignment, revamps the hiring process to identify and recruit innovative talent, and establishes an Innovation Acceleration Center (IAC) to nurture and implement groundbreaking ideas. By leveraging cross-unit collaboration and strategic talent development, the firm aims to enhance its innovative capabilities, drive growth, and maintain a competitive edge in the consulting industry.

Exhibit E

Curious about the project thesis?
Drop me an email

Get in touch

Re-Inventing The Hotdog

Firm Wide Innovation Culture

Curious about the project thesis? Drop me an email

Curious aboutthe project thesis?Drop me an email

Curious about the project thesis?Drop me an email

Curious about
the project thesis?
Drop me an email

Curious about the project thesis?
Drop me an email