Removing barriers to innovation

Organisations everywhere are under pressure to drive competitive advantage through innovation, but will fail to do so until they remove several common barriers that stifle creativity. Noria CEO Ronny Reppe shares his tips for overcoming some of these barriers and building an innovative culture

What is the most painful task on your current to-do list? Perhaps it’s a challenging piece of writing, a difficult conversation with a stakeholder, or a project that you know will take weeks to complete. Companies should not limit their understanding of innovation to the latest gadget, software, or clever algorithm.

An innovative idea can be as simple as finding a smarter way of doing something. Insurers are rife with inefficient processes that can be improved with innovative thinking.

A simple process improvement can save more money and drive more efficiency over time than a cutting-edge piece of technology. For example, finding ways to ease the burden of compliance reporting, or communicating more efficiently with stakeholders and customers can save a great deal of time.

Nor should the concept of innovation be limited by size or scope. Even the smallest change should be celebrated and encouraged.

Don’t label people as creative or non-creative

“It’s the nature of many organisations that hierarchies and processes are set up to say a default ‘no’ to new ideas. That’s why it’s

Creativity can manifest itself in many different ways. Don’t fall into the trap important to focus on that middle layer of believing some people (and some professions) are more creative than to ensure they are amplifying ideas rather others. You don’t have to work in an advertising agency or product than discouraging them.’’ development team to be imaginative. In fact, some of the most gamechanging, innovative ideas I have seen have come from ‘non- creative’ Ronny Reppe, professions such as accountants. Noria Software

At Noria, the essence of innovation and creativity can be distilled into a single term: curiosity. We hire curious people, because we know that curiosity increases adaptability, innovation, creativity, job satisfaction, and ultimately, financial results. Anyone can be curious, no matter how much creativity their day-to-day workload involves. Create a safe environment for innovation Nothing stifles innovation so much as a culture of fear. It only takes one negative experience, such as being criticised or mocked for sharing an idea, for someone to never want to take that risk again.

One of the key cultural shifts involves making sure managers don’t feel like their authority is being challenged when people suggest a better way of doing things. The default reaction in so many organisations is to quash new ideas out of hand by saying ‘that won’t work’, ‘we can’t do that’, or ‘that’s been done before’.

Create a safe space for people to speak up and share innovative ideas without fear of negative consequences. All innovative ideas should be encouraged and celebrated; even the ones that ultimately aren’t going to work out. The point is to create a culture of innovation where your team is conFIVE TIPS FOR BUILDING AN INNOVATIVE CULTURE stantly thinking outside the box for ways to drive continuous improvement.

If you really want to supercharge innovation, consider implementing something similar to Google’s 20 percent rule where employees can spend one-fifth of their time on a work-related project of their own choosing. Make sure all ideas are considered If you are in a position of leadership and you’re frustrated at your team’s apparent lack of innovation, consider the possibility that ideas are being shut down by middle-managers before they make their way to you. Perhaps they are doing so out of a fear of change, or through a misguided attempt to protect you from extra work. But quashing innovation will ultimately harm your organisation’s ability to compete. It’s the nature of many organisations that hierarchies and processes are set up to say a default ‘no’ to new ideas. That’s why it’s important to focus on that middle layer to ensure they are amplifying ideas rather than discouraging them. Empower all employees – of every level – with the authority and responsibility to innovate. In practice, this means that your employees will not need to seek permission for implementing an idea that will drive continuous improvement. If management is involved in everything that happens, change will inevitably be slower. Making sure all ideas are heard could involve a virtual or physical ideas board or whiteboarding tool, or setting aside time at the end of meetings where anyone can share ideas. If an idea won’t work out, provide positive feedback to explain why not, and be sure to encourage the employee to keep being creative. Provide a process for capturing innovation Simply encouraging ideas is not always enough. Innovation needs to be captured, defined, and translated into actionable steps. Good ideas disappear if you don’t address and define them with a structured and efficient process. Noria uses a design sprint methodology (both internally and externally) for brainstorming, visualising, and testing new concepts before any sort of development project is launched.

In summary, here are some top tips for building an innovative culture that will drive continuous improvement:

1. Encourage and celebrate all types of innovation, ranging from new technologies to simple process changes; 2. Hire curious people; 3. Empower employees to innovate without seeking permission; 4. Create a safe and open environment for sharing ideas; and, 5. Ensure all ideas are heard and have a process for capturing innovation.