Alan DraperChange is inevitable in today’s constantly evolving business world, where companies old and new remain hard-pressed to keep pace with new developments in their industries. However, the only changes that truly make sense for businesses are those that further corporate goals or add value for customers—more importantly, companies need to find their own way of creating this value.
Rather than following trends or mimicking the actions of competitors, companies need to focus on internal innovation to propel change in culture, products, and services. Here are four different ways enterprises can leverage innovation to encourage growth.
1. Communication and Dissemination
Incorporate values that further collaboration, problem solving, and innovation within the mission statement and work earnestly to promote these values across the organization.
2. Structure and Application
Have a system in place for the workforce to initiate ideas, which can be brought up for discussion. If agreed upon, then execute the desired change. New ideas that drive increased operational efficiency are more likely to come from the workforce more than anywhere else. A discussion with all stakeholders is still important to consider why a process is followed, even if there is an obviously better way of doing it. A pressing need for organizations that want to innovate is an innovation platform that facilitates free flow of information, ideas and discussions.
3. Process and Culture
Have a process in place to gather ideas throughout the entire organization. A big stumbling block for enterprises is often the workplace hierarchy, where higher level employees have more impact on innovation initiatives. While leadership roles are important, enterprises need to devise a way for innovation to be introduced in an unbiased way to the entire company.
4. From Ideation to Execution
Have a mechanism to translate ideas into action. Very often, there are plenty of ideas, but organizations stumble when it comes to turning these ideas into concrete, workable actions that can be effectively implemented. Hire people to be responsible for following through with these ideas, and support them as necessary. For instance, many geographically dispersed companies now have full-time corporate innovation champions, as well as part-time regional assistants, to manage process and facilitate innovation. This is in addition to hiring a dedicated Chief Innovation Officer.
Innovation management platforms that facilitate both idea sharing and collaboration allow people to elevate ideas, and help concepts actually reach the implementation stage. If you’re not harnessing the creative power of your entire network, you’re almost certainly missing out on what could be the next big breakthrough in your industry.
How do you facilitate innovation in your organization? Share your story in the comments below!
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Alan Draper.
Learn how to publish your content on B2C
Join our Telegram channel to stay up to date on breaking news coverage
Add B2C to your Google News Feed
Great post Jenn! Regarding your question: “How do you facilitate innovation in your organization?” I would say to check out a blog that is written on the exact same question. “Taking innovation leadership into your workplace” on THNK.org