- When you heard about “PayCore Innovation” and found out about the competition, what did you think about our company preparing such an event and establishing such a structure?
In our century, technology and innovation are significant in all areas of life. Innovations that enter our lives every day make them easier.
Although innovation expresses a process-and-result concept, it is more about taking a product or service that exists today, adding new, effective features to the product and offering it for the benefit of humanity.
The relationship between innovation and technology is an important element in societies’ development, increasing the quality of life and solving economic and social problems. In other words, innovation is indispensable in all aspects of our lives.
Inevitably, innovation will also exist in the world of payment systems and software, which we use very effectively today. From the first emergence of the credit card to the variety of payment systems and innovations used today, each is the product of an innovative idea.
I think that these activities and the structure established in our company regarding innovation will bring new ideas to the surface and will be extremely beneficial in terms of the convenience that feasible ideas will bring us.
In many companies, R&D units are working towards innovations to achieve this. While these units are the primary sources for innovation, companies are whole entities, and each employee of the company can produce innovative ideas. However, many people may not have the courage and motivation to share a new idea which they have come up with. They refrain from presenting the relevant idea because of reservations such as “the value is not seen”, “it’s nonsense” or “nothing like that is possible anyway”. Thanks to the “PayCore Innovation Competition”, a platform has been established on which every employee within the company can freely express their opinions and have them evaluated.
- Can you share your motivation for participating in the competition?
Every person can have an opinion on any topic. However, people often hesitate to put their opinions forward. Perhaps this idea has value that can change both one’s own life and one’s environment, perhaps the world. But the person may not be aware of this. Most of the time, we all stop expressing an idea when we have one, hesitating because we feel that it will not be valued.
I would like to share a small memory from my professional life with you. In a bank where I worked in the past, as a member of a team of which I was not the manager, I identified a situation in which productivity fell due to errors resulting from lack of information. I found the source of the problem and prepared a training document to solve it. I thought of sharing this with the team as a presentation. In this way, I would create an awareness of the mistakes made and inform the team. I spent extra work and overtime on this and completed the work. When the study was completed, I shared my opinion with my manager. He was very pleased with this and asked me to give a presentation to the team immediately. With the presentation I made, I contributed to the correction of many overlooked mistakes and to increasing the efficiency of the team. This stuck in my mind as “valuing my idea”, and as an innovative idea that benefits the company.
I think that every employee can present an innovative idea if the necessary opportunity is given, and this became a source of motivation for me in the competition that the company organized. In companies, there should be a channel that will ensure that the innovative ideas of every employee reach the relevant people.
- We will discuss whether your idea can be developed and applied in the forthcoming PayCore Innovation Brainstorming Sessions and we will form a team to develop it. How does it feel to be able to take such an opportunity in your career?
Frankly, I think every idea of every company employee that contributes to innovation is worth considering, not just mine. In my opinion, every idea that is considered useful should be discussed, and time should be devoted to those that are worth developing.
- How do you think PayCore Innovation can contribute to our company culture in the upcoming processes?
I think it will contribute in two ways:
Firstly, I think it is highly beneficial for everyone to understand that every employee is a part of the company and that, therefore, all employees will be able to express themselves better knowing that, even if their opinions are not accepted, they will at least be evaluated and can be heard by everyone. Everyone working in our company will work with the motivation that every idea that may bring innovation will be evaluated and contribute to the company culture in the long term.
Second, our company’s “innovative” image will increase thanks to the novel ideas accepted and implemented at PayCore: Specifically, when our company has an innovative idea that has not been implemented in the sector before and which provides benefits, our perception as being innovative will be strengthened by leading the sector. Innovative products such as SoftPOS, in which the mobile phones turn into POS devices, make the company a pioneer in the market.
