6 minute read
Harnessing Innovation
Innovation can be challenging, but small changes can lead to big ideas
Despite extolling the virtues of innovation, many companies struggle to truly innovate. i That’s not to say by any means that these companies aren’t thriving and successful, but their success is more likely to come from squeezing the best from an existing model, rather than shaking it up.
Great creative leaps, game changing ideas and significant discoveries are often conjured when thinking about innovation, but changes don’t have to be dramatic to have a significant difference. Modifying business models and implementing new methodologies can also be innovative and revolutionary for a business.
Why is Innovation Good?
This magazine has written before about the death of Blockbuster, who were unable to innovate, and failed to recognise and grasp opportunity when Netflix came to them looking for a buy-out. Although this lack of foresight might be clear now, they are just one obvious example of something that many businesses struggle with.
McKinsey, the global management, and consulting firm, consider that there are eight essential practices and processes that must be implemented to be truly innovative. ii These are split into two groups, four that ask questions about strategy and creativity, making sure that businesses have the right environment to innovate. The other four consider delivery and organisation, and how to make innovation meaningful for the business.
In their consultation with 2,500 global executives, many leaders said that they were doing well, with 100% saying they hit the first essential – aspire – perfectly. When researchers from McKinsey investigated the data, this dropped to 55%, due in part to the leaders being overconfident in the clarity of their intentions. They know that they have aspirations for their businesses, so reported that this was excellent. However, they had failed to set concrete targets, failed to provide clarity, or overestimated how much staff knew about their intentions.
A bold aspiration, like John F. Kennedy’s ‘to go to the moon in this decade’ can be the catalyst for unprecedented innovation, but it does need to be achievable (however unlikely), clear, and well communicated.
Making sure that business leaders, their managers and other employees are on the same page is crucial. There are some common roadblocks (and solutions!) to consider if you want your workplace to be a hive of creativity and action.
Lack of Clarity
As mentioned above, it is crucial that staff know what the company’s mission is – both long and short term. Staff need to be clear on the vision for the company, and the leader’s intent, or aspirations, for the company need to be clearly communicated and easily accessible, and with realistic targets attached and regularly reviewed.
Lack of Resource
Perhaps your business is filled with creative people developing excellent ideas that all seem to go nowhere. This could be due to a lack of staff or something as simple as an unclear pipeline to move ideas forward for consideration and implementation.
Consider your staff’s workload and talk with them about ideas that haven’t come to fruition in a constructive way. It is highly likely that staff will be able to tell you if the issue was due to lack of time or manpower, uncertainty about how to move the process forward, or something else.
Lack of Diversity
Employing a diverse workforce will not only feel more welcoming to staff, clients, and suppliers, but can also lead to exciting ideas and creativity. People’s background and first-hand experiences will have a dramatic impact on their contributions to the business. The person that can solve your problem might look or act different to the rest of your workforce.
People of different nationalities, cultures, gender, and the neurodiverse, will all bring something new to the table, but only if they feel comfortable speaking up. Which leads us to…
Office Culture
Are staff comfortable discussing problems that they face, or is there a pervading sense that not admitting to noticing a challenge means it’s not there? If something goes wrong, are people happy to speak up and talk about what happened or is there a culture of blame?
Cultures can be difficult to shift, but generally a top-down approach is needed. Make sure that all managers in the business are on the same page and start to emphasise a culture of ideas and innovation, with an open forum and a ‘no idea too stupid’ culture. Wrap up sessions following a project where employees are encouraged to explore challenges in a non-judgemental environment, and wins are celebrated, will be more likely to lead to solutions and creative ideas.
Motivation
The increasing discussions about burnout, quiet quitting, work to rule, anti-work; it all speaks to a general dissatisfaction in the workplace. So how to motivate employees?
This will depend greatly on your business, and what is expected of employees. If you know that people are being overworked, address that issue, and the culture that leads to it. Let people know that it’s okay to go home at 5, or to have a sick day. Try and ensure that holiday allowances are used and offer flexibility where possible regarding working from home. Showing appreciation to employees, whether a thank you, an extra day off, or a pay rise or other financial incentive should all be considered. This will depend on the role of the employee; but think about setting up a reward scheme for anyone who comes up with a cost saving plan, or income generating idea.
Clear messaging, transparent processes, and a welcoming office culture that encourages people and rewards excellence might take some time to implement but shouldn’t be costly. Hiring more staff to handle a burgeoning workload and increasing diversity should pay for itself by decreasing staff turnover, creating capacity to take on more work and develop innovative ideas. The cost of not innovating is stagnation, and what business can afford that?
