When “innovation” is used in the media these days, most people do not think of humanitarian organisations such as the World Food Programme (WFP). Our thoughts are usually drawn to the app-producing, Silicon Valley tech communities. But long before we were excited by mobile phones and new apps, individual or group innovations (within or outside organisations) have been transforming the way we live our lives. In fact, one of the original definitions of “innovation” is “revolution,” a change in the order of things. What “innovation” truly means is the establishment of a new idea or an improvement on an old one. The last part of this definition is important because nowadays talks of “innovation” focus only on the establishment of new ideas and not on improvements on old ones. In contrast, WFP has become one of the world’s leading humanitarian organisations because of its amenability to “innovation” both as the creation of new ideas and an improvement on old approaches—with a clear vision on the most cutting-edge approach to serving poor and hungry people around the world.
