While most leaders champion innovation in their companies, very few employees actively engage in innovation activities. There is a problem to solve, then—if employees aren’t involved and passionate about innovation, the result will be higher failure rates of innovation initiatives.
Why don’t employees get excited about innovation? One factor could be that the term “innovation” sounds as if it is reserved for scientists or Research and Development departments, rather than for the average employee. Another principal reason could be that the wrong people are involved in the right projects—or vice versa.
People are the source, the tool, the engine behind innovation, so leaders must prepare their teams to embrace innovation as a part of their daily work and show them exactly where they fit in the innovation process. No matter the size and scope of your organization, follow these six steps to get your team excited about innovation.
Demonstrate that innovation is achievable—again and again.
Employees will always follow the leader. So the leader must set the tone. The way leaders talk about and present new initiatives matters. In words, actions, and invitations to participate, innovation must be presented as something that is achievable. Everyone is an innovator! Employees should hear this message often, and this is actually where most leaders fail.
Studies show that it takes more than seven exposures for people to internalize a new message or direction. For innovation to be taken seriously, leaders must demonstrate again and again that innovation is expected of everyone in the organization. Speak about innovation every time there is an opportunity to address the team and make it a big deal—because innovation is crucial for success.
Show innovation in practice.
Innovation is often used as a buzzword. Most employees don’t connect with the term, and some may even find it intimidating. Myths that only select teams and departments can innovate are common. What does innovation really mean in the context of the day-to-day? Your teams need to see it in practice to bust these myths.
Share stories and examples of successful innovation within the company—and do this often. This will show your employees how they can participate in value creation and they will begin to see where innovation fits into their daily work. Encourage other leaders across departments to do the same. Every department exists to solve problems, so every department exists to innovate—and, most importantly, each and every member of that department should play a part in innovation.
Make innovation a part of everyone’s job description.
Since team members are here to create value, innovation cannot be left to chance. Innovation needs to be expected as an output of each employee. To institutionalize this mindset, innovation should be a measurable output that is reviewed often and rewarded so that it can be included in every employee’s job expectation. Leaders can even make it a part of performance reviews.
A question that often comes up is, “How much time should an employee spend on innovation activities?” The answer is, it depends on the job, the kind of problems faced, and the availability of opportunities to solve those problems. Employees who have more routine jobs with predictable workflows are likely to have fewer opportunities to innovate simply because of the nature of their jobs. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Instead ask, how can even more value come out of this position? Innovating within a routine role is quite different from a frequently shifting role—it requires different mindsets to tackle the many new challenges. Innovation is even more important in these types of positions.
No matter the job, integrating an innovative mindset does take investment—training, experimentation, time, and space are all needed—and all employees have the opportunity to improve their output. It’s recommended that each employee should spend between 10-20% of their working time solving problems or looking to create new value for customers and the company.
Map out every employee’s Innovation FitnessTM.
It is difficult to be excited about a project you aren’t fit for. That’s why it’s important to map out every employee’s skills, talents, and passions to understand how and where they contribute most in the innovation process. Everyone is an innovator—but everyone innovates differently. Assessments like our Innovation Fitness AssessmentTM do just that, and help leaders and employees understand their fitness for each of the Six Stages of Innovation.
Once mapped, team members can be added to the right projects and at the right time. Knowing their innovation personalities will empower employees to recognize both how and when to become an active participant in innovation—and free them from participating in mundane tasks where they neither have interest nor excel. This will give them the confidence to approach problems and opportunities based on their natural talents, skills, and passions with energy.
Master idea management.
Innovation is an economy. After all, it’s about value creation and value realization. Value is driven by a currency, and ideas are the currency for innovation. Without ideas, there will never be enough exchange to create and realize value. This is why ideas are so important.
Great and innovative organizations have mastered the constant creation of innovation currency—of ideas. Without a system to generate, capture, and experiment with new ideas, your economy will suffer.
Once ideas are captured within the system, teams can discuss and enhance the ideas to begin the value creation process. This requires a variety of innovators joining the process at the right moments to collaborate. The ideas that come from these collaborations must also be organized to easily compare the possible value from each idea and to evaluate which idea will create the most value if explored.
Using this method of management will ensure that you and your teams prioritize the right ideas with full knowledge of possible value. Bringing many employees into this process also ensures their engagement and excitement when their idea is put to use.
Involve your customers.
Nothing ignites a passion for innovation more than when employees see their ideas, their concepts, and their work being adopted by a customer. Every employee wants to feel valued in the workplace and see that their work leads to value—so if you want to excite your employees, show them what your customers actually appreciate from their daily work!
We encourage innovators to spend time with their customers during the innovation process. Not only for feedback, but also to create emotional momentum for the team. This will bring boosts in energy, confidence, and resiliency as they seek the best results. If you do not invite your customers to be part of the innovation process you are missing out! Missing out on increased returns on user experience, on employee momentum, and eventually, the realization of value in being paid by customers.
It is possible to have a team engaged in the innovation process within your organization. As leaders, it is important to follow these six steps to ensure your team’s excitement and dedication to successful innovation.
