During this age of unrelenting competition and global markets, in order for innovation to be successful within your organization, it ideally should happen naturally on an ongoing basis.
In other words, innovation must be ingrained within the daily culture of your company. In order for your company to grow in today’s socially conscious atmosphere, your staff need to focus on curiosity and opportunity seeking to bring innovation into their daily working environment.
With this in mind, the following tips will help you create an innovative environment within your company that is is happily accepted by all.
Believe in Your Values
The mutual sharing of values amongst co-workers is a hallmark of a successful company.
Without a clear focus on what is important to everyone in a company, a business will suffer. This will lead to employees who struggle to wholeheartedly buy into your culture or too feel inspired to innovate.
“I think what really helps build any culture and team is doing what you say you’re going to do – living your values, living your cultural principles,” says Zoë Regent, Director of Innovation & Business Development at Save The Children.
When it comes to an organization’s value system, consistency is key to success.
Employ Spaces Which Encourage Innovation
If your company is grappling in its quest to innovate, altering the environment will generate fabulous results amongst staff members.
Dr Tammy Watchorn, Head of Innovation at National Services, NHS Scotland, strongly promotes this change of environment.
“For me, it’s all about creating the right environments with a choice of tools to use,” she advises. “We have done lots of things for all levels of staff. But mostly I think it is about creating new spaces and environments to enable people to work in a different way, to feel safe and supported in thinking creatively and challenging the norm.”
Creating Your Own Innovation
While you may believe a company, perhaps even a competitor, has discovered the ultimate path to innovation. However strong your conviction may be, it’s vitality important you resist the desire to copy innovation strategies from another business.
Tom Culver, Senior Innovation Advisor at RTI International, states that, “companies sometimes assume that if they keep searching, they’ll find some magical innovation process that somebody else used that’s going to be perfect for them.”
Of course, no such thing exists. You have to create your own, and there’s no exceptions.
Of course, you can feel inspired by what someone or another company is achieving. But always remember, your business and what you do is unique, which makes what you do special.
