Every couple of years, a new focus on innovation takes hold meant to drive results for those who don’t yet get it. The latest instalment of that trend is one of developing a Culture of Innovation. But what does that really mean? Innovation can occur for any reason, in any way, at anytime, anywhere and by anyone; hence the title of this blog post: the five W’s.
Knowing this, why then do so few large organizations do so little to embrace the activities necessary to foster a culture of innovation? Tool sets of various (and in some cases dubious) capabilities are available to optimize creative collaborations while maximizing processing efficiency and crystallising implementation opportunities. But these can only deliver on their potential when enough participants engage in a responsive manner, at all the appropriate levels, and aligned around a core mission. Sound impossible? Well it isn’t - and we have the case studies, benchmarks and aggregate results to prove it.
I’d love to advocate that there is something new in this latest path to innovation enlightenment, but the truth is that developing a culture of innovation falls into the obvious, but somewhat rarefied practice of change management. The benefits are exciting, even electrifying, but the process is nothing new in itself. In fact, its potential in this space is well-known but mostly avoided. Why? Because that calls for active leadership and real “roll-up-the-sleeves” work; it can’t get done on a golf course and many organizations have regrettably fallen out of practice in this particular competency.
Should the innovation process itself be innovative?
An atmosphere that cultivates and supports innovation must make participants feel safe – creating a desire to explore and the motivation to engage because the environment for it feels right. It must also be rich in diverse innovation activities, because not everyone adds value the same way – some are creators, others are builders, others yet are refiners…the list can be as comprehensive as your operations and culture require; or allow. But by opening the process to innovation activities beyond simply submitting ideas and voting on them, you give more people the opportunity to add value, while increasing process efficiency through the distribution of labour, adding much-needed diversity and providing a larger pool of on-demand expertise. And as many organizations are only now discovering, the value of nurturing a Culture of Innovation really isn’t anything new; it’s just now become plain to see or at the limit, impossible to avoide any longer.
What are some key success factors that drive process success?
We know that the more diverse the group of participants are, the better. But the process itself has a process. If the organization is just starting and there is concern around risk and resources, you may want to roll-out in a two-phased approach. As a first tranche, implementing an innovation program internally is a good best practice. It enables your organization to cut its teeth and hone process mechanics before adding more volume; doing this within the confines of the organizations provides important learning and allows for adjustments to be made out of view from the public eye. These adjustments can vary between status changes, task re-definition, workflow re-routing, additional forms and other process items, enabling you to refine your process for augmented performance. And once these refinements are implemented and your process accelerates, the second tranche can kick-in - where you can add external communities such as supply-chain partners, customers and shareholders – all of whom have unique perspectives and distinct need-sets that can translate into innovation opportunities for your organization.
Engaged leadership and a holistic approach are what get your innovation culture mojo going – but it’s the buy-in from your various stakeholder communities that will socialize it and keep it growing. Standards have changed - participants at all stages of the process demand responsiveness and expect outcomes based on timely results. It’s all out there for the taking - your organization’s biggest lever is the responsiveness that gets generated through your process culture.