Most of us recognize that the way to really stand out from the competition is to be innovative and creative. This, however, involves taking risks, which many companies are loath to do. How should a leader or a company make sure that they drive innovation at the office? If you’re looking for ways to make your employees more innovative, read this guide by HiCounselor.
1. Start at the Top
Workplace culture is usually set by upper management. Employees often copy their behavior, so they must be careful of the trickle-down effect. If you want to drive innovation at your workplace, you should show that you’re okay with taking chances and won’t penalize people for their failures. One often has to wade through some iffy ideas to get to the one that’s going to change things around.
2. Push Innovation
To hone your employees’ creativity, you must give them the time and space to work on it. Google, for example, allows its employees to spend 20% of their work time on projects they like. Putting policies like this in place is more likely to get you innovative results because people are more creative when they’re genuinely interested in a subject/project. This also helps avoid employees thinking of their work as drudgery.
3. Create a Team
Offices are usually a mix of all kinds of people. Some like the spotlight while others prefer to avoid it at all costs. Some are creative, while others can motivate everyone around them. Put together a team for creative ideas and projects that can examine and try out innovation suggestions. These people should be unbiased and enthusiastic. There should also be a system of checks and balances to avoid discrimination or grudges coming into play.
4. Have a Screening Process
Not every idea your employees come up with is going to be a money-maker. Some can actually be the opposite! To drive the right kind of innovation at your workplace, set up a screening process. An idea can be processed for its design, R&D, simplicity, cost-saving levels, etc. and receive a score for each. If the idea doesn’t score a combined 70% approval rating, it can be eliminated or sent back for modifications.
5. Communicate Well
Organizations have been known to promise a lot and fall short on delivery. Some of your employees might be sceptical about your policies to drive innovation. Communicate clearly with them about the rewards/merits, the ideas you’re currently working on, those that worked in the past, and those that didn’t work but how they were appreciated anyway. Clear and concise communication helps build trust and encourages innovation.
6. Take Chances
The best way to drive innovation in your office is to try things out instead of shooting them down. A series of rapid-cycle experiments can help you decide if the idea works for your set-up. Ideas that have been tested out are also easier to implement as some of the kinks will have been identified and worked out. This will also signal to the employees that management knows what it’s doing instead of simply implementing change for change’s sake.
7. Don’t Penalize Creativity
As we discussed above, not all ideas are going to work out. Take failure with a degree of optimism. You can see it as a lesson learned or as something that doesn’t suit your set-up. If you start to look down upon failure, people aren’t going to speak up. It’s easier for them to let things be as they are instead of risking being ridiculed or penalized at work. You can award ‘smart failures’ for those well-planned ideas that didn’t quite work.
8. Work on Employee Engagement
One of the best ways to drive innovation in your office is to keep employees motivated and involved. A recent Gallup research revealed that only around 13% of employees said they feel engaged at work. Simple things like socializing at work, having a break room, fun activities and competitions, etc. can help people feel more positive about their workplace. When they feel involved, they’re more likely to try to improve things.
9. Encourage Collaboration
Often, the best results are achieved when people pitch in to test and perfect an idea. To truly encourage positive innovation at work, encourage your employees to work with each other. You can ask people to pair up according to their talents so each is supporting the other. Make sure any rewards are shared equally so no one feels ignored. Share tips on how to collaborate and experiment with ideas before submitting them so they have a greater chance of success.
HiCounselor has forged technical advances to transform the hiring landscape for job seekers and recruiters alike. Our career accelerator program provides job seekers with coaching and mentorship from industry leaders employed at FAANG companies while recruiters ally with HiCounselor to empower their hiring strategy and hone in on the best candidates. Learn more about HiCounselor here and reach out to us on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
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