Innovative technology, business ideas, and social solutions shape our world. Every groundbreaking idea starts with a creative individual or team of innovators.
If you’re inspired by new designs, fresh ideas, and concepts, you might wonder how to become more innovative and gain a competitive advantage.
This article explains what it means to innovate at work, have innovative ideas, go through the innovation process, and outline steps to develop your professional creativity and problem-solving skills.
Beneficial Position
Companies that invest in innovation gain a competitive edge. For instance, Amazon’s innovations in online purchasing and delivery have solidified its market dominance.
However, innovation isn’t just about offering new products and services; it’s also about staying profitable and surviving in the market.
Consider LEGO: the beloved toy company faced financial difficulties in the early 2000s but regained its market leader status through innovation, co-creation, and customer collaboration.
Customer Centricity
Trying new approaches ensures a constant focus on customer needs, building a dedicated market base, and keeping a company responsive to demand. Apple’s relentless focus on improving lives through convenient and intuitive personal electronics is a key reason for its market dominance and as a business leaders.
Happy Employees Stick Around
An innovative workplace also attracts creative thinkers, and employee engagement and helps retain top talent. Google’s approach to workplace staff-driven innovation keeps its employees engaged, happy, and motivated. Innovation also fosters social development, making employees feel valued and cohesive in a company’s overall employee satisfaction.
Southwest Airlines also exemplifies this with its commitment to involving all levels of staff in innovative and creative ideas.
Encouraging Innovation
Encouraging innovation isn’t easy. It involves balancing company priorities, overcoming resistance, and utilizing management strategies, shared values, and resources. Innovation processes vary by company, influenced by workplace culture, systems, and staff talents.
To help you foster innovation, here are some techniques divided into key subjects:
- Leadership & Management
- Openness to Trying New Things
- Open Communication
- Staff Well-being
- Workplace Design & Layout
- Tools & Software
Let’s explore these subjects and how you can implement them.
Leadership & Management
Most recommended innovation techniques focus on leadership and management. Leaders need to encourage daily innovative thinking and ownership of exciting and new ideas. Here are some specific techniques:
- Empower Employees: Steve Jobs famously said, “We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Empower your employees to tackle tough problems and reward their efforts.
- Non-Hierarchical Management: Strict hierarchies can stifle innovation. The most innovative companies, like Tesla, have flat management structures that encourage cross-department collaboration.
Innovation Strategy and Innovative Culture
A strategic approach to innovation should be part of your company’s DNA. Develop an innovation strategy as part of your business model that outlines guiding principles for growth through product and service innovation. Make sure every employee understands their role in this strategy to get engaged employees.
Microsoft exemplifies this by integrating its innovation strategy, innovative approach, and innovative culture into employee responsibilities.
Openness to Trying New Things
Companies must be willing to experiment and embrace the power of innovation. This includes exploring market adjacencies, embracing co-creation, and participating in innovation hubs. For example, Disney’s move into streaming media was a logical adjacency that created new value.
Open Communication
Commit to open communication and transparency about innovation goals and benefits. For example, Square requires meeting notes for meetings with more than two people to be publicly shared, promoting company-wide awareness of problem-solving efforts.
Staff Well-being
Ensure employees feel safe to be creative. Recognize and reward successful innovations, and create an environment where employees can suggest new ideas without fear of negative consequences.
Workplace Design & Layout
The physical work environment can significantly impact innovation. Organize your office to encourage collaboration and idea-sharing. Google’s innovative office designs, while extreme, highlight the importance of fostering informal meetings and information sharing.
Tools and Software
Provide the right tools to support innovation. Time-saving software can free up employees for creative thinking. Innovation management software can guide ideas from concept to implementation, fostering a culture of innovation.
Conclusion
Encouraging innovation takes time, effort, and the ability to embrace failure. Even successful companies like Coca-Cola, Netflix, and Amazon acknowledge their past failures. Accept that innovation is a long game and balance collaboration with individual accountability. Implementing these strategies will help you cultivate a more dynamic and innovative workplace.
Hire the Best of the Best
If your recruitment efforts are not bearing fruit, and/or you need help, contact Search Masters for assistance. Our team of professionals can help you find the ideal personnel to empower your business.
Search Masters utilizes numerous online resources and tools to help you find the perfect people for your business.
Search Masters can assist you with creating job postings that could appeal to competent applicants and offer advice on assessing resumes and applications to find the ideal candidate for your business.
In addition, our assistance on interviewing skills, salary discussion tactics, and more is only a phone call away.