Build a Culture of Innovation

Is your organization innovative?

Or do you do the same old things in the same old ways?

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

As an employee, you can play an active role in finding new sources, tools, techniques, and strategies to make your organization more cutting edge, competitive and innovative.

By doing this, you can influence those around you, over time creating a culture of dedication, productivity and foresight - all critical ingredients to being innovative!

The culture at your organization sets expectations for how people behave and how well they function as a team. Culture transforms organizations into teams.

There are three main components of organization culture:

• Rules

• Traditions

• Personality

Photo by Smartworks Coworking on Unsplash

Innovation helps us:

• Improve upon existing ideas

• Adapt to changing circumstances

• See new opportunities

Ignore titles

• Titles can sometimes intimidate employees and stop them from sharing ideas with people of 'higher ranks'

• Adopt a policy of "Best idea wins" - no matter who came up with it!

Reward new ideas

• Rewarding a behaviour encourages more of the same

• Reward new ideas with bonuses, gifts, or even a public "thank you"

Ensure that employees see the BIG PICTURE

• When employees understand the organization's vision and priorities, they are empowered to come up with creative solutions

• This helps employees find how they can uniquely contribute

As brilliant as you are, you alone can't be responsible for coming up with all the ideas at your organization. It takes an entire culture of innovation.

So, which of these strategies will you try this week to create a more innovative culture on your team?