Synopsis
The article emphasizes real-life instances and highlights the solutions for HR leaders to build an innovative culture within an organization.
Key Takeaways for HR Leaders
- Three main propellers for Innovation – Focus on the customer; Think 10X (Think huge problems, come up with radical solutions, use breakthrough technology); Freedom to innovate.
- Encourage team members to ideate. Even a bad idea can become an inspiration for a good idea or can transform into a different idea – so in a sense, no idea is bad.
- Psychological safety – demonstrate it!
- Create a platform where people can keep sharing ideas and upvoting/contributing to them.
- Three important aspects that have a direct impact on the Culture of Innovation
Innovation is what keeps a business alive. With the accelerating technological change and industry disruption, modern businesses are demanding more innovation than ever. This extraordinary time for innovation is motivating businesses to strive for continual development and new opportunities. Today, we are swiftly moving towards adopting all mechanisms and embracing a culture of new technologies, kindling the passion for knowledge, and easing barriers to creativity and serendipitous advances.
According to Global Innovation Index 2022, India has also improved from 81st place to 46th place, among other competitive nations. The R&D centers are also fostering opportunities for Indian talent to contribute to technologies that are in demand around the world.
One of the most common occurrences in any city is the street hawkers selling vegetables in their push carts. You can hear them scream at the top of their voices. Well, this is the job of most of the moving street hawkers who need to grab the attention of potential customers to sell the vegetables while they are fresh. This job can be a real test of your physical and vocal capabilities and endurance. And if you fail in either, your performance suffers.
Whereas, once I came across another ‘Innovative’ street hawker who had recorded his voice rattling of the vegetable names on his mobile phone, connected it to a speaker which amplified the volume and played it on loop while he pushed his cart in the residential lanes. To me, that was an innovation. I went over and tipped him Rs.100/- and said “Great idea!” He gave me a big smile.
We, humans, evolved because of our ability to innovate. So, the good news is that we all have the potential! So, what’s the bad news? Why is it that so few people in fewer organizations work on cutting-edge innovation while most others are stuck inside the box? In my view, the reason for the lack of innovation boils down to a few basic things, and one of the most important among them is the lack of an organizational culture that promotes innovation. Like street hawkers, organizations also need to innovate in the ever-changing world if they need to stay relevant and achieve their goals year on year.
What are some easy ways to create a culture of Innovation so an organization can become a breeding ground for innovative minds?
I recently attended a session by Google, and below are some pointers based on what the speaker shared on how we can do the same:
- Three main propellers for Innovation – Focus on the customer; Think 10X (Think huge problems, come up with radical solutions, use breakthrough technology); Freedom to innovate.
If I have to compare the three innovative propellers for the street hawker’s case, he probably did the same thing. He must have thought, how can I get the customer to hear me (while I sweat it out!) loud and clear? How can 10 X of the usual customers hear me? Can I use the voice recorder on my mobile phone in any way? And on a lighter note…he probably didn’t have a nagging wife that said “no, this won’t work” and curtailed his freedom. Read More
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This byline article by Neetha Jagan was published in ETHRWorld.
