Standards Heros Celebrate 100 Years Of Standards Australia

When we consider a world best practice Innovation Management System, it is all about people.

Brian Ruddle, Managing Director here at Impact Innovation and Chair of the Innovation Standards Committee at Standards Australia was recently nominated as a Standards Hero in celebration of 100 years of Standards Australia .

The article below is from his recent Q&A with the team at Standards Australia, originally published here. 

Our birthday Standards Heroes have been nominated by their peers to represent all our contributors – individuals we consider to be the real heroes of standards, in Australia and internationally. We thank those who contribute their knowledge and expertise, service, and time to Standards Australia for the benefit of the Australian community.

Brian Ruddle has contributed decades of his professional life to innovation and change in organisations, industries and societies. His work is recognised both nationally and internationally.

Q1: How did you become involved in standards development? 

I have been involved in innovation for over 25 years in Australia and internationally and have particularly been focused on the systems that are needed to generate change in organisations, industries and societies. 

I was first made aware that global innovation management standards were being developed from overseas contacts and when Australia began to bring together a committee, I was keen to get involved to bring my experience in designing and implementing innovation management systems to the table. I was then nominated Chair of the committee.

Q2: What role have standards played in your career?  

I was first exposed to the value of standards when working with the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. A lot of this work involved aligning how the 10 ASEAN member countries could collaborate and cooperate across a range of sectors such as customs, biosecurity, education, health and a range of economic development activities. During this work, standards were often discussed or reviewed.

Moreover, at Impact Innovation we have been using a systems approach for a number of years and it is now great to see a formalised systems approach for innovation world-wide.”

Q3: What is a project you’ve been particularly proud to have helped deliver? 

A project to develop a SME Handbook that was created jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). This handbook synthesises a key ISO standard into a document that helps SMEs to progressively develop innovation management systems. During the development of this handbook, I worked with experts from a range of countries to develop and finalise this document which was a great learning experience.

Q4: Outside of standards development, what have been some highlights of your career? 

I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a number of industry transformation activities such as the Innovate Qld program, Manufacturing Hub Design and Agtech Hub Design.

I’ve also been the Chair of the AgriFutures Emerging Industries Panel working with other panel members to develop a strategy and operational plan to support 50+ emerging ag industries. This included working with industry associations, producers and research organisations to overcome key production roadmaps.

Building Impact Innovation into an organisation delivering high impact innovation and commercialisation expertise across the APAC region is also a key highlight.

Q5: What do you think the future of standardisation looks like? 

From an innovation management perspective, innovation standards should continue to support the delivery of impact and generating outcomes rather than simply be a ‘tick the box’ type activity.

When it is clear that standards help to support value creation, they are more likely to be adopted. This can ultimately help organisations change innovation from a concept or cost centre to the driving force behind competitiveness and growth.

Q6: Is there anything you’d like to say or mention about Standards Australia’s centenary year?

To reach 100 years is an amazing achievement and significant milestone for Standards Australia and through my work with the innovation management standards I have seen the clear benefit of the work that Standards Australia does and am proud to be part of it. Here’s to the next 100 years.

Reach out to us if you want to learn more about shifting to a systems approach to innovation aligned with the ISO Innovation Management Standards.