Create a Culture of Innovation
“We are struggling to develop a culture of innovation among her team members,” was a comment I received during a recent consultation session with one of my clients. This leader understood that a company or a business that is not innovating will perish. Ignoring innovation or a lack of innovation impacts businesses of all sizes (remember Kodak or Nokia or Blockbuster?). Executives must create an environment where new ideas are encouraged, nurtured, and implemented. Below includes some of the suggestions I have provided to my client based upon my experience and research on successful and failed businesses.
As a leader, you must explicitly prioritize innovation in the company’s (or your unit’s) vision and strategic goals. Leaders should communicate the importance of innovation regularly and demonstrate commitment through actions, not just words. Furthermore, it is important to develop a clear vision and roadmap for innovation that aligns with the company’s overall strategy and ensure that your teammates understand how innovation fits into the company’s goals and their role in achieving it.
Another aspect that must not be overlooked is encouraging autonomy. Give your teammates the freedom to explore new ideas and make decisions within their roles. This form of empowerment leads to higher morale and productivity as it demonstrates the teammates' value to them coming from you as their leader. Additionally, implementing flexible work arrangements that allow for creativity and independent thinking are critical for developing autonomy.
I also recommend creating work environments where teammates feel safe to share their ideas and feedback without fear of negative repercussions. The concept of building a psychologically safe work environment for employees, void of threats, distrust, and negativity, can result in healthier collaborative practices and exploration of diverse ideas. Mistakes in this environment lead to growth and lay a foundation for innovation. Though, there are times when performance must be mistake-free, such as during a board meeting or presentations to customers. However, it is the psychologically safe environment that will allow teammates to perfect sales pitches or create innovative ideas that will impress board members.
Within psychologically safe work environments, encourage collaboration across different departments to expand opportunities for innovation by bringing even more diverse perspectives together. Establishing cross-functional teams to work on novel projects, leveraging varied expertise and viewpoints can accelerate business innovation further.
No culture of innovation can be without recognizing and celebrating innovative ideas and successful projects of all sizes and impact. A leader can create formal recognition programs praising an “Innovator of the Month” or innovation competitions with prizes such as lunch with the boss. Reward systems that incentivize creativity and even reward risk-taking can be a jolt to your unit’s morale and innovation.
Have you stepped inside a co-working space? They are bright and open, with fresh coffee and snacks in a common area, lots of windows, and energized people. What if your work environment could mimic that of a new co-working space? Creating physical workspaces that inspire creativity and collaboration is an investment that does not have to be hefty but can impact your team in fruitful ways. This could include open-plan offices (rip out the cubicle walls!) or innovation hubs that encourage collaboration. This type of change can ensure that the work environment is conducive to brainstorming and idea-sharing.
These are just a few strategies that can inspire collaboration, innovation, and teamwork if you or your leadership are open to investing in the team, their workspace, and professional development.
