How to grow innovation culture in your organisation

 “The value of an idea lies in the use of it”.

 We live in a world that incessantly aspires to have explosive kind of growth in almost every prominent sector which is in existence.  Innovation in such cases happens to be of great use as it helps an organisation to determine beneficial ways to reach the desired goals.

There is always an abundance of ideas of innovation that keenly waits to be incorporated and have the tendency to render results.

Before commencing further, let’s get into the crux of this article and elucidate the meaning of innovation culture.

Innovation culture is a type of work environment that is basically nurtured by team leaders to promote unorthodox thinking with the thought of applicating it at the end. Workplaces that emphasise such a type of culture within an organisation subscribe to the notion that ideas are not only limited to the topmost level of hierarchy but can come from anyone working in the organisation. In simpler words,  it can be deciphered that innovation culture provides validation to an employee and also gives them the scope to cultivate various innovative ideas.

In addition to that, innovative culture has given an open space to everyone’s ideas which helps an organisation to grow in the longer run. It  has also prevented disputes between various levels present in an  organisation eventually which had ended up in promoting teamwork among employees.

Once a leader chooses and takes the decision of introducing an innovation culture among the employees, it should be fluently communicated and thoroughly explained as miscommunication can act as a hindrance and prevent the desired results an organisation has set.

In order to be able to generate an innovation culture in a wholesome way, a leader needs to give precedence to the below-mentioned ways-

1- Provide employees with the right kind of tools, information, and skills for them to be able to articulate a desired innovative idea.

2- Sensitise employees to innovation and the opportunities it’s likely to give.

3- Don’t force them to generate ideas, give them the right space, necessary resources to be able to  do that on their own.

4- Validate their thoughts, however, let them know how they can be moulded to transition it into a desired innovative idea.

How innovation can affect an organisation’s activity?

Innovation is vital for an organisation or workplace because it helps in understanding the market better and also in penetrating it faster.

When a company has an innovative culture, there is a high tendency that it will flourish in the longer run. However, applying innovative ideas is not always an easy option and requires rigorous work to be able to extract results.

Furthermore, let’s dive into more integral parts of this article and comprehend how can we create an innovative culture in the organisation-

1- Communication- A leader should be able to communicate expectations and goals regarding innovation to every employee. The communicated strategy should reach all the levels of hierarchy and be thoroughly comprehended by them.

2- Reward innovative ideas-  Create an environment wherein an employee’s thoughts are valued and respected. Don’t suppress their ideas just because they don’t come through in a more expressive manner.  Make themselves comfortable with the fact that their experimenting on certain topics is not wrong at all.

3- Offer something different- Don’t keep them stuck to a  single genre of working, expose them to new ventures so that they would be able to derive innovative ideas organically. Promote thinking out of the box ideally.

4- Create a collaborative working environment-  You need to build your working environment in such a way wherein the employees are given the open space to brainstorm together as a team. Emphasises arranging meetings wherein they are taught coordination of ideas.

5- Minimise bureaucracy– Employees should be able to feel free and welcomed when it comes to sharing their ideas. Create such a structure wherein a manager can easily communicate with the employees without creating massive levels of hierarchy. Break down the barriers and emphasize promoting two-day decisions.

 

6- Hire people accordingly- Look for hiring people who are creative and like to be drawn to things that talk about bringing a change no matter small or big. Build a team that is diverse and comprises creative thinkers.

Why is creating an innovative culture so important?

Creating an innovative culture is crucial for an organisation as it brings fresh air of ideas and introduces various prospects through which a company can attain a specified goal. So to say, it doesn’t limit an organisation and keeps a wide spectrum for change.

An innovation culture helps a company or an organisation to not just grow but also flourish according to the existing marketing strategies.

1- Innovation grows your business- Business growth usually means increasing your profits. Successful innovation means that you are able to derive solutions and results out of them ultimately helps in increasing the profits of the company.  If you don’t innovate in a manner that is beneficial for the company, the results will plateau.

2-Helps in understanding competition–  Innovation helps you in envisioning the needs of a customer and also alleviates the services. If your business is not able to innovate properly, it is very likely that you will face great competition as top companies keep introducing various innovative strategies to keep up with the requirements of an user.

3- Innovate the employees, high yielding the business-  It is often said that a high-yielding business is the end result of innovative results. It is the one thing that leads a business to have a choice between various strategies before implementing one.

Now, let’s pay some attention to a few drawbacks innovation can have over a business-

1- Need of capital investment-  When it comes to the implementation of innovation, you need to have new technology, and trained employees also the necessity to shift your business’s identity is a must which can often require risk-taking and also massive capital investment.

2- Scheduling-  Innovation takes time and you need to schedule the correct time in which you are looking for implementation. If you can’t implement your innovations quickly and efficiently, you can risk failing to meet your desired goals and falling behind on your schedule—losing profits and the trust of your customers and investors.

3- Instability- Constantly creating new ideas and bringing innovation to practice in such a rigorous manner, there is a high possibility that the users won’t be able to connect with the business which can also lead to instability. Innovative ideas need to be used deliberately and at the correct time.

I hope this article brings answers to all your apprehensions and leads you to a thorough comprehension.