iFikra platform aimed at unlocking the full potential of Etihad’s workforce
Etihad Airways and Swae, an award-winning startup based in Vancouver, have partnered to launch iFikra, an artificial intelligence-powered platform aimed at unlocking the full potential of Etihad’s workforce by enabling every employee to contribute to innovation.
Designed to harness the collective creativity of the organisation, the iFikra platform is a pilot aimed at promoting ‘intrapreneurship’ by allowing employees to propose innovative solutions to address Etihad’s ongoing business challenges and untapped opportunities.
“If we are operating more inventively internally, our guests will have a far more superior experience when they choose Etihad,” said Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group.
The new platform leverages artificial intelligence to support and augment written business proposals generated by staff, while enabling an open feedback and collaboration learning loop, based on the principles of transparency and meritocracy, to help escalate the best ideas forward efficiently.
For the first time, employees have the power to shape organisational strategy by voting, commenting and providing constructive feedback on their colleague’s ideas, playing a direct role in the decision-making process.
Ideas that ‘graduate’ from the platform will be provided with seed funding and support through Innovate Lab, Etihad’s innovation lab. The Lab supports rapid trial and iteration of promising ideas and projects, accelerating the delivery of prototypes, pilots, proof of concepts and minimum viable products.
“We believe Swae’s platform can help Etihad improve the inclusivity and quality of bottom-up ideas, and allow employee generated innovations to significantly influence the broader strategic direction of the organisation,” remarked Soushiant Zangenehpour, CEO, Swae.
