Creating an innovation culture
“Innovation is not something that can be mandated; it is an output of an environment.”
In the fast-paced corporate world, organisations know long term survival and growth depend on staying ahead of the competition. What is less clear is the strategy each organisation adopts to deliver this – is it to do things as they have always done, look for incremental improvements and keep costs down? Or, do they break the rules, try new things and rewrite the rules for the market sector? Regardless of the strategic choice that is made, almost all organisations reference creativity and innovation somewhere in their organisation mission, vision or values. But it is only a few companies who have really embraced this and, in the words of Google, recognise that “creative things are more likely to happen with the right company culture.”
Innovation is not something that can be mandated; it is an output of an environment. The most innovative companies believe that all employees are looking for better ways to do things in their jobs, and leaders in these companies systematically channel this passion, ingenuity, ownership and self-direction towards the achievement of company goals. These leaders also know when to call time, so if an idea is not working out, resources and energy can be redeployed.
For any leader, excelling in creativity and innovation is a phenomenal asset to have and, contrary to popular belief, these assets are not purely innate talents. These are skills that can be honed.
But what do Apple do that sets them apart and makes them the pioneer of innovative culture? Is it their attitude and vocabulary which refuses to admit to limits, barriers and impossibilities? Is it their commitment to making exceptional products, with or without customer input?
Or is it their people, a continuously growing and learning team of “creative, wickedly smart and slightly rebellious” individuals?
To isolate one aspect of their culture would be overlooking the total impact of the work environment on the company output. But what is clear is that innovation isn’t a buzz word for Apple – it is a living, breathing value that forms the core of their identity. When innovation becomes an expectation, not a provoked occurrence, it is properly embedded in culture and will feature in every aspect of business. This is the key to Apple’s success and the reason why it is so difficult to replicate – it is about changing business priorities, values and language from the very beginning of the recruitment process so that people come on board with the knowledge that their ideas, and the ability to develop them, are just as valuable as their experience.
The culture within an organisation is often the hardest thing to change, and it is the culture – more than investment in new skills or technology – that will facilitate innovation. There are some clearly defined environmental factors which will contribute to this culture:
- Bureaucracy puts an upper limit on what individuals are allowed to bring to their Think about how to implement un-bureaucratic ways of working that give employees head-room to think for themselves.
- Create an organisation based on trust, not fear, where all employees feel they can contribute their ideas regardless of their role, experience or formal
- Listen actively to your clients’ needs and put these at the heart of your creative
- Promote and value diversity as the catalyst for Sometimes the best efforts at collaboration are from individuals with very different backgrounds and perspectives.
- Beware of the impulse to strangle innovation with the same tight controls that you might apply to other business Side-tracks and unexpected turns are inevitable so sometimes sticking to a plan will compromise the quality of the solution.
- Maintain a policy of open Employees who feel free to discuss issues will also feel free to openly discuss creative ideas.
While each of the four colour energies can be the originator of ideas, an individual will need to harness all four to see that idea through the challenging development stages. A team which includes
representatives from each colour will have the advantage of flexibility. We all know that each colour has its own strengths to bring to the innovation process, however they are all also vulnerable to unique de-motivators which could deflate any idea before it ever becomes reality. If an individual is trying to bring an idea to life alone, they could lose momentum if they encounter the following:
Stages of authorisation that slow down the process and diminish ownership
Criticism or negativity from others, which may cause loss of enthusiasm
Doubt from others about the worth or relevance of the idea
In a team you have others to bolster you when you lose motivation, much in the same way that a table has four legs to keep it steady. To successfully innovate, you either need to be very aware of yourself and be able to self- motivate, or you need a team to collaborate on making an idea a reality. It would be best if you go into the planning and implementation stages with an awareness of your weaknesses so that you can dial up those colour energies that are less dominant.
So how can you get the most out of your dominant colour energy to create a wealth of ideas?
For those of you who lead with Cool Blue energy, think about what could make you, and others, more efficient. Practically test out new ways of working, new systems, new methodologies, and exhaust all possibilities to make sure that you are completely happy and proud of the solution.
If you lead with Fiery Red energy, think about what you would like to see done and don’t worry about how difficult it may be to actually implement. Don’t let the ‘hows’ and the ‘whos’ slow your momentum. If it’s a good idea you will find a way to see it through.
For those with dominant Sunshine Yellow energy, make sure that you write your ideas or present them visually (even just to yourself). You will be inspired by one idea and from it could sprout a dozen more. Your concern will be making sure that none of them get lost in your fast thought processes.
If Earth Green is your preference, think about those changes that you genuinely think will impact your workplace, what will be a lasting solution, and what will get the buy-in of the people involved. You will be more likely to put all of your effort into one well-thought-out idea than to throw out a dozen suggestions, so make sure you can support it.
Innovation is so much more than brainstorming ideas. To be a true innovator, you need to follow through and deliver genuine change. There is no colour that has more innate ability to innovate, nor one that can successfully turn a plan into a result without support. What innovation needs is a multi-colour approach to capture the best behaviours and use them to create something revolutionary.
What success looks like
Innovation does not have to be about mimicking Apple, or any other company; innovation, by definition, is about doing something new and individual. It may mean that there will be expeditions into new, uncharted territory, and it certainly means that there will be risks, failures and hard-won lessons.
Success, then, is not measured on how many times you fail, but on the ultimate value of your efforts. Like a marathon, the winning attributes will be persistence, determination and the ability to recover rapidly from setbacks. When you have a culture where people can share ideas, make suggestions and implement positive change without the barriers of bureaucracy and risk- aversion, then you will know you have succeeded.
