How to create a culture of innovation

Every organization has its own set of problems. While some focus on simply addressing these problems, there are others that go one step ahead and innovate so that the problem does not come in the future as well.

The big question that you need to ask yourself is whether you want to be part of the former or the latter?

I’m sure the answer would be the latter group.

Now, the question that arises here is how do you fabricate an atmosphere where innovation thrives? How do you magnify this strength of innovation into a source of competitive advantage? Most important of all, how do you create a culture of innovation?

Before we delve deep into the chronicles of creating a culture of innovation, let us first understand what exactly does the term culture of innovation mean? According to Scott Edinger, of the Edinger Consulting Group, “Excellence in leading innovation has far less to do with the leader having innovative ideas; it has everything to do with how that leader creates a culture where innovation and creativity thrives in every corner.” While for majority of us innovation is nothing more than the plain act of generating new ideas (a whole lot of them), but the reality is far from that.

Now that we have a thorough understanding about institutional innovation, let us shift our focus back from where we started i.e. how to create a culture of innovation in your organization? After meticulous research, I have managed to come up with this compilation of strategies that top leaders in the world have employed to foster a culture of innovation in their organization. So, here’s the list

• Incorporate innovation in your DNA
  “Innovation, “as Steve Jobs has put in words,”comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem. It’s ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.” There’s no point in belaboring the obvious that innovation is the one aspect that can make or break a business. Just like Einstein said it, innovation is everyone’s responsibility and not just the R&D Team, think of it as a constant evaluation of creativity rather than any of your pet projects. This philosophy has been the driving force for innovation at companies like Facebook, where everyone is looked upon as an innovator.
• But before the first step, know thyself
  Every organization has certain set of values, behaviors, attitudes and feelings associated with its workforce. Before you start to work towards the change, you need to understand the climate of your organization. Will the employees be able to acclimatize to the change? How will they respond to this experimentation phase? What are the different structures that you need to keep in place in order to unlock innovation? Wondering how to do it? Well, here’s what you can do to help your employees adapt to this culture of innovation -

1. Tolerate mistakes — if employees fear of being penalized for failures, their thinking is going to be crippled. As crazy as it may sound, but giving your employees the confidence of not being ridiculed, no matter how crazy their ideas may sound, should be the first point on your list. This feeling of reciprocal trust can prove to be a game changer for your organization.
2. Solicit ideas — as told in the first point, innovation isn’t the sole province of top-level employees. Anyone who has a skill related to the project can come up with the multi-million dollar idea you have been looking for. This is the reason that rather than relying solely on the so called innovative thinkers of your organization, you should encourage all the employees to share their ideas and see how things turn out to be.
3. Focus on results — give the staff members freedom to do their job. No matter how they do it, a breathing space where they can experiment, grow and come up with something new always helps in getting the best results. And, that’s what matters in the end. Isn’t is so?

• Experiment and iterate
  Speed holds the key when we talk about innovation. However, that’s not the only thing that matters. Experimenting with those ideas first and then moving ahead with their iteration is as important as discovering the idea itself. And, Facebook comes across as the best example for this. Not only do these guys come up with innovative ideas every now and then, but it’s their experimentation and iteration that drives them to success. From Beta Testing to methodical implementation, they leave no stone unturned to make sure that only the best product comes out for the users. And, this is the reason that they have emerged as the leaders in technology. If Facebook can do it, then why can’t you? All you need to do is pick up the pace before slow speed becomes the death knell for your business.
• Be the inspiring leader
  As they say ‘to bring the change, be the change’. If you want your employees to inculcate the culture of innovation within them, you need to analyze your attitude. Are you an inspiration for the employees? Do you motivate them to innovate? If not you, then who else? Here are some aspects of leadership that might be coming in your way, when it comes to inspiring the workers at your organization -

1. dismissing others’ ideas simply because you don’t have the time to listen to them
2. asking employees for suggestion, but never implementing them
3. not being open to explore the possibilities of any novel idea put by any of the team members

If you can relate to any of these things after reading it, then you surely need to work on your leadership abilities first before you actually start to innovate.

• Embrace failure
  People call failures infectious, stinky and pestilent. Not doubt they are, but the trick to embrace innovation is to accept failures in a similar manner as you accept success. The best leaders don’t criticize people who fail, rather they inspire them to strive harder the next time. Remember, it is all about thinking. And, there can’t be a better way to explain this situation in words then referring to the famous quote from Thomas A. Edison who failed 10000 times before successfully creating the electric bulb ‘I’ve not failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.’ Remember the glass is always half empty and half full, it depends entirely on the way you look at it.

That’s about it from my end.

Hope you had a Happy Reading!!!