Centric Consulting joins Google, Dell, Diageo, Alibaba, Etsy, Nestle, and many others on Fast Company’s list of Best Workplaces for Innovators.
Dayton, OH, July 29, 2020 – Fast Company today announced its second annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, honoring businesses and organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. Centric Consulting, a business and technology consulting services firm, came in at no. 27 for creating a culture that encourages innovation through its Virtual Innovation Lab.
Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the 2020 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity, and engineering.
Working together, Fast Company editors and Accenture researchers scored nearly 900 applications, and a panel of eight eminent judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companies—an increase from last year’s list of 50. The 2020 awards feature workplaces from around the world with several of the honorees based outside the U.S.
“We did not have a great honor like this in mind when we set out on our innovation journey, so it’s with humility and gratitude that we receive this award,” said Brian Sedor, a Boston Practice Lead who also leads Centric’s Innovation Advisory Committee. “This certainly validates the efforts of our Innovation Advisory team in creating a Virtual Innovation Lab that addresses gaps across industries and technologies, allowing us to provide more value to our clients and their customers.”
“Strive to Innovate” is one of Centric’s original core values, but it wasn’t until 2016 that the firm fully embraced it by creating an Innovation Advisory Committee, which provided pathways for people across the company to share ideas and receive coaching to incubate those ideas and arrive at proof of value.
That committee and its innovation competency matured over the past four years as the company recognized it had the unique ability to identify patterns – through the work they do across industries and emerging technologies such as machine learning and process automation – to bring value to clients.
“With the pace of change continuing to accelerate and disrupt more industries, almost every company will have to become great at innovating to survive,” said Larry English, President of Centric. “We’ve built a virtual innovation model that works, and we can help other organizations do the same.”
In just a short time, the framework that Centric created has led to more than 11 ideas in incubation. Two ideas have graduated to become an offering for clients – one which came from Centric’s Healthcare Practice Lead, Dr. Marcie Stoshak-Chavez.
Stosak-Chavez wondered if “providers could use Virtual Reality sessions instead of a powerful narcotic or anxiolytic in their treatment of palliative care patients.” From that hypothesis, Centric’s Virtual Reality for Healthcare (VR for HC) incubation was born, and a pilot project has been underway since 2019 with the goal of improving the quality of life of hospice care and assisted living patients by using VR headsets to provide them an escape from their everyday lives.
“As much of the world recovers from health, economic, and social crises, we need innovation more than ever,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “This new list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators celebrates organizations that have fostered innovative thinking by investing in technology, research and development, and their employees.”
To see the complete list, go to: www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/2020
Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators issue (September 2020) is available online now, and the print issue will be on newsstands beginning August 4, 2020. Join the Best Workplaces for Innovators conversation using #FCBestWorkplaces.
About Centric Consulting
Centric Consulting is a management consulting services firm that guides you in the search for answers to complex digital, business and technology problems by asking tough questions, leading crucial conversations and blending our experts with yours. As you navigate what’s next, we can help you conquer change, optimize processes, elevate your technology, and compete in a digital world. Headquartered in Ohio, with locations across the country and India, Centric has earned annual recognition by Forbes as one of America’s Best Management Consulting Firms since 2016. Visit http://www.centricconsulting.com to learn more.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is one of the world’s leading business media brands, with an editorial focus on innovation with a deep emphasis on creativity, technology, social impact, leadership, and design. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 482,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.