The culture of innovation is frequently associated with the insertion and development of new products, supported by more efficient processes. Although this concept is not mistaken, it must be implemented organically into the company’s organizational culture, through improved work methodologies, motivated people, and networking.
According to a report released in 2016, Brazil occupies an intermediate position among countries whose businesses are driven by efficiency — characterized by the advancement of industrialization and scale gains, with a predominance of capital-intensive organizations.
However, economically more advanced countries, such as the United States, Australia, and Canada, are driven by innovation — knowledge-intensive and focused on service sector modernization.
In this context, companies across all segments have been implementing innovation laboratories within their structures, where events, hackathons (programming marathons), dynamics such as gamification, and behavioral analysis tools are utilized. All of this aims to motivate the creative process and continuously develop internal methods.
In this post, we will explain how the culture of innovation can be implemented in enterprises. Check it out!
How to Apply the Culture of Innovation in Company Routine
Through this concept, employees can identify bottlenecks and opportunities in the company’s daily operations and, thus, suggest ideas that provide a unique perspective on potentials that reinforce business objectives. See below how to apply it.
1. Assume and encourage a posture of constant learning and adaptation
Employees must be constantly encouraged to share their impressions and explore certain initiatives — no matter how difficult they may be — without fearing management retaliation, since the main objective is to improve the organizational environment.
An interesting tool in this regard is the 15% Rule, a philosophy where innovation is stimulated by granting employees 15% of their working hours to dedicate to new creative projects related to the company’s field of activity.
Additionally, according to a recent report, companies that apply customer engagement strategies and adopt user-driven requirements (from ideation to the launch of the good or service) are twice as successful as others.
2. Seek people with different skills and perspectives
Being multidisciplinary is a required competency for the Industry 4.0 professional. In this sense, it is essential to prepare through courses, training, and workshops, and also to acquire behavioral skills to deal with increasingly diverse teams, a plurality of profiles, and different visions.
It is through these particularities that projects become more complete and comprehensive. Furthermore, through job rotation—a practice in which professionals are rotated within the organizational environment—learning and diverse experiences are favored and amplified.
3. Promote differentiated leadership
A manager must encourage the emergence of new leaders through meritocratic criteria mechanisms. Moreover, they must delegate responsibilities, encourage initiatives, assume the risks inherent in this new concept, and value employee efforts.
To this end, it is necessary to create opportunities in meetings to discuss strategies and value those who have strived for achievements in this regard.
It is also very important to know how to listen and interpret feedback received from all stakeholders and analyze the suggestions presented to narrow the gap between current practices and innovation objectives.
Advantages of this Management Style
The importance of cultivating an innovation culture is well known, especially to ensure that people, items, and processes are capable of operating in a new organizational context supported by the emergence of trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data.
Furthermore, the culture of innovation can be responsible for implementing leaner processes that prevent resource waste, promote agility, and strengthen company strategies.
Did you like our article? Then be sure to check out our tips on how to put innovation management into practice in your company!
