Ah Yes… The Corporate Culture of Innovation

As an organization dedicated to helping others develop and implement business innovation, we routinely hear that change is so much easier said than done. And we can appreciate that – change is often difficult, from the beginning stages of identifying an issue to the final stages of implementation. So where do you start? The corporate culture of innovation seems to be a buzz phrase that has received significant attention over the past few years, and for good reason. Why not start there?

Think about it this way: if everyone is thinking about a solution to a problem, then the solution is more likely to be found, no? We think so. Creating a culture of innovation means changing your perspective and highlighting the benefits to an entire organization by developing an appreciation for change and all of its merits. Making sure everyone is on the same page greatly increases your chances for success.

There are a number of key factors that contribute to the successful development of a corporate culture of innovation, and arguably the biggest one has to do with finding a balance between the elimination of fear and the drive and need for success. Fear often plays a major role in any inability to change, and so getting rid of those fears, no matter what they are, needs to be central to any ideology surrounding innovation. Team members need to be encouraged to recognize and identify areas for improvement, and should be acknowledged for this identification.

To motivate, create a structure for scoring and storing unrelated ideas. Ideas come and go, and just because an idea does not directly relate to the strategic issue at hand does not then render it irrelevant. Create an idea bank to store the unused ideas, and go back and work to develop them when the time is right. And make sure that the individual who presented the idea initially is made aware that their idea is being kept. Let the ideas flow! Celebrate them!! I know you’ve heard this before but it needn’t cost a lot of money. The value of the reward will be in the cache it carries, not the price tag.

Communication is crucial – pre-present ideas to your management team and make sure that they are onboard with it instead of just springing it on them when you announce it to the entire company. Surprise announcements tend to welcome objections, which can kill an idea quicker than it was conceived.

Finally, demonstrate that ideas, all of them, have a place in your work environment by eliminating the fear of failure or ridicule for any idea. There are a million ways employees and management can demonstrate competency or incompetency… don’t let idea generation be one of them.

For more about creating and encouraging a corporate culture of innovation please contact Innovators Alliance today by calling 1-905-332-0340.