Community of Ingenuity

In today’s fast-paced high-tech ecosystem, the key to success lies in the relentless pursuit of innovation. While numerous companies champion this essential value, only a select few truly dedicate themselves to cultivating an environment that nurtures innovative thinking. These organizations stand out by boldly transforming their organizational culture to align with this forward-thinking approach.

Elbit Systems’ iLeaders project stands as a distinctive program, specifically designed for a carefully chosen group of employees across the organization. This initiative serves as a testament to the company’s dedication to empowering its staff with the necessary tools and resources to excel in innovation. The iLeaders program acts as a guiding light, leading these select individuals towards achieving exceptional levels of innovative excellence.

“Being an iLeader means embodying the core values of knowledge and innovation throughout every division of the organization,” explains Gil, the Head of Inner-Innovation at Elbit Systems. “This role entails the significant responsibility of introducing new perspectives and applying advanced problem-solving methods to enhance the effectiveness of our product and solution development processes.”

Academy of Creative Minds

Six years ago, Elbit’s CTO, Shuki Yehuda, made a decisive move to bring this vision to life by developing an exclusive academic course under Tel Aviv University umbrella. This specialized program was carefully crafted to provide select participants with invaluable knowledge and innovative techniques, equipping them to achieve their creative and professional goals.

“Our foremost goal was to cultivate an innovation-centric mindset among our staff,” Gil stresses. “Participants were carefully selected for this program based on their proven ability to navigate complex challenges in their fields parallel to their personal skills to enable them to perform as mentors for entrepreneurs in their organization. Our aim was to broaden their skillset, thereby empowering them to make more significant contributions towards improving results in their areas of expertise.”

Wisdom of the Crowd

The journey, however, extends beyond the iLeaders program itself. Drawing from the experiences and knowledge gained during their time in the program, Elbit Systems’ Innovation department saw an emerging opportunity to nurture a community among the program’s alumni and nominate Roni to lead & establish this outstanding iLeaders community. This initiative aimed to leverage their collective insights and continue the momentum of innovation.

“We saw a considerable benefit in establishing a network among these exceptionally skilled employees,” Gil elaborates. “Our vision was to create a collaborative space where they could offer mutual support and share expertise across different departments within the organization, enhancing high-impact synergy, cross-functional innovation and problem-solving.”

Renowned for its broad range of expertise, from advanced homeland security platforms to pioneering AI algorithms, Elbit Systems fosters an environment conducive to the cross-pollination of knowledge and skills. This inherent diversity creates numerous opportunities for employees to combine their expertise, supporting each other in tackling complex challenges.

“The results from this community have been outstanding,” Gil asserts. “Our iLeaders actively participate in cross-disciplinary consultations, utilizing their combined wisdom and experience to reach significant achievements in various aspects of our operations.”

Insights through Podcasting

This robust community, embodying a steadfast commitment to internal innovation, has set its sights on yet another significant achievement: providing managerial-level assistance in navigating professional challenges.

“We organized an off-site seminar in the desert, bringing together our entire iLeaders group to expand their expertise and strengthen their bonds,” Gil shares. “A key goal of this retreat was to pinpoint and address the persistent challenges within our organization.”

Understanding the effectiveness of podcasts in exploring intricate topics, Gil explains, “We initiated a series of podcast interviews featuring our managers. This novel method serves as an excellent tool for introducing our iLeaders to upcoming innovative opportunities and identifying areas in the organization where proactive measures can be most beneficial.”

Beyond the desert seminar, the flourishing iLeaders community, which now boasts 120 members, frequently organizes a variety of events, including hackathons, lectures, and social gatherings. Gil notes the substantial value these events bring to both the company and its employees.

“Such gatherings offer invaluable chances for our team members to strengthen their collaboration and networking skills, which in turn positively impacts our customer service,” he says.

Looking to the future, Gil, and the innovative minds in the iLeaders community are more committed than ever to proactively addressing the evolving challenges Elbit Systems may encounter.

“As we’ve grown, the immense value of this community to a continually expanding company like ours has become increasingly clear,” Gil observes. “Our intention is to keep investing in and nurturing this vital initiative, recognizing it as a key driver that sets us apart from our competitors.”