Six ways to design your culture to drive innovation
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16/09/2015
Does your culture drive innovation? Many organizations want to be innovative. However, it does not just happen because you want it to occur. You must deliberately design innovation into your organization.
How to design your culture to support innovation:
Vision, mission & values – Where your organization is going is defined by your vision, mission & values. If you want innovation to be part of your journey, then make sure that at a minimum your values include innovation.
Act upon your innovation values – Define to everyone what being innovative looks like. Reward people for implementing creative solutions. Do not punish employees for generating “out there” ideas. Learn what to repeat and not repeat after creative solutions are attempted.
Update your processes – Your programs and processes need to encourage and recognize innovation. Do you look for innovation & creativity in the hiring process? Does your compensation program recognize innovation? Do you share stories about creative mistakes and what we learned from them? Do you fire people for making mistakes?
Update your structures – Rows of desks & cubicles is not a creative environment. Try changing the way your offices are organized to allow for spaces to be creative, to meet other groups, and to collectively develop creative solutions.
Teach your leaders to be innovative & support innovation – Leaders have a powerful impact on whether innovation will succeed or fail. Show them how to be and nurture creativity. Support them in their new behaviors. Give them guidelines for developing innovation in their staff.
Set boundaries – Educate your staff on taking calculated risks – how to determine possible risks and mitigate their impacts.
Innovation can distinguish you from your competition! You can set your organization up for creative success by designing your culture appropriately.
Want some help setting up the strategy, structures & processes to drive innovation?
Contact me at Valerie.MacLeod@HainesCentre.com