How In'to Languages plans to future-proof its services
How can you continue to be relevant in a world that seems to be changing faster than ever? For In’to Languages, the answer is clear: by fully committing to innovation. Although innovation has been a driving force within our organisation for many years, it has really taken off in the past year. Thanks to a renewed approach, innovation is now something that involves not just a few people, but the whole of In’to. Our managing director Sylvia van der Weerden and innovator Kasper Maes share their vision and talk about how we are collectively preparing for the future.
Flexibility through innovation
Sylvia van der Weerden: “Rapid developments in language and technology, such as the advent of AI, clearly show that innovation is no longer a choice, but a necessity. If we want to continue to be relevant as a language and communication centre and provide added value in the future as well, it is vital that we are flexible and that we can keep up with developments. Innovation allows you to foster this flexibility.”
People should not only want to contribute ideas, but they should also be willing to put their ideas into practice, and believe in them and endorse them
Innovation is not just about new technology or substantive improvements. Sylvia points out that it also requires a change in culture and the development of a forward-thinking approach: “We will only be able to move forward if it’s something that we all want. Innovation is something that you need to achieve together. People should not only want to contribute ideas, but they should also be willing to put their ideas into practice, and believe in them and endorse them. That’s why we’re embracing an interactive innovation strategy to which everyone is invited to contribute.”
Collaborating on innovation
As innovator at In’to, Kasper Maes is the driving force behind this new strategy. The main idea is that colleagues work together in cross-departmental teams to explore opportunities and possibilities that relate to a particular theme and that they do this in addition to their current day-to-day work. Kasper explains that this style of working has many advantages: “Giving people space, taking them out of their usual work context and bringing people together from different areas of expertise can generate new perspectives and ideas. The outcome is spontaneous and there is no pressure to achieve a specific result. This is how you provide scope for creativity so that people can really think outside the box. Involving as many staff members as possible also helps people to increasingly see for themselves what the benefits of innovation are, including the rewards in their own work.”
It’s great to see more and more colleagues getting involved and being open to new things. This is significant progress in such a short space of time
Sylvia: “Now that we’re working together, innovation is helping In’to to embrace new opportunities. The staff members at In’to are the organisation’s most valuable asset. Our collective knowledge and abilities will allow us to achieve so much more than individuals could achieve in a single innovation team or management team. And it’s triggered a chain reaction: we’re already seeing results from our innovation strategy, which has consequently motivated others to get on board too.” Kasper adds: “It’s great to see more and more colleagues getting involved with innovation and being open to new things. This is significant progress in such a short space of time.”
Results
In addition to an expanding forward-thinking mindset, there are already other visible results. Kasper: “We began with a pilot team that was focused on generative AI. This generated a great deal of expertise in this area and made colleagues increasingly see AI as a regular tool that can be used for a large number of applications. For example, lecturers are using AI for developing course materials, and we’ve also included it in the courses that we’re offering, such as in our writing courses.”
Another tangible outcome is the feedback tool that the language teachers from In’to are currently developing together with the SME Datalab. “This AI tool automatically identifies and corrects language errors in writing assignments,” Kasper explains, “which saves lecturers a lot of time when they’re reviewing students’ work. This means that they only need to check the feedback and add their own comments. The collaboration with SME Datalab is a good example of how we’re looking outwards and trying to think outside our own box. Involving external experts is invaluable for this purpose.”
By looking ahead, we’re already thinking about what the future of language and communication might look like and how we can respond accordingly
Looking ahead with 'futures thinking'
In’to is now also looking at the bigger picture. Sylvia: “As well as being flexible as an organisation, we also want to be prepared for the future. So that we can anticipate and respond quickly to what is happening around us.” This is why In’to is combining team innovation with ‘futures thinking’, which will allow them to explore possible future scenarios. “Innovation and futures thinking go hand in hand,” explains Kasper. “By looking ahead, we’re already thinking about what the future of language and communication might look like and how we can respond accordingly. By using innovation, we’re fleshing out pathways that may lead to these futures. Should things turn out differently, we’ll also be able to respond quickly, because we’ve already considered the alternative scenarios.”
If you would like to know more about futures thinking, Kasper Maes has written an e-book about it, which can be downloaded here.