How to develop a culture of innovation within a company in challenging times
Mar 31, 2021
Challenging moments put our values to the test. Developing a culture of innovation is necessary to survive in today's market. See how.
Innovating is necessary to maintain competitiveness in the current market. In times like the one we live in, the call for innovation is even greater, as entrepreneurs and employees need to find new ways to communicate with their customers and to offer their products or services.
However, the culture of innovation
is not something that develops overnight. A well-defined process is required to make this happen. Some modern companies, especially startups, are already born with innovation in DNA, but in most and especially in the most traditional conducts they need to be adjusted in order to create a truly innovative environment and, in times of crisis, this is when this is definitely proven. culture.
Why is it necessary to innovate in times of crisis?
In difficult times, consumer behaviors change, both for products and services and for information - the main currency of the century
. As a result, those who do not adapt to the new reality, making internal policies more flexible to serve or communicate with their customers, will suffer an even greater impact. These periods require everyone to adapt and companies to innovate.
How is a culture of innovation created?
A culture takes time to establish itself
, as well as the innovation process itself: they must be thought out, made feasible, tested and validated. It is very important to point out that a culture of innovation or the general organizational culture, is not created through a manifesto
, but it is the internal attitudes that must be represented in the consolidated written standards. What we mean is that it is not enough to have a set of ‘norms’ or ‘conduct’ to be followed, but that attitudes must first reflect this.
To help you in this process, we will list some of the attitudes of companies with a culture of innovation.
Strengthening purpose
What is the main purpose of your company? What does she want to serve and be recognized for? These values must be very clear to everyone who works in the environment. This strengthening generates internal engagement with all those who are aligned with this purpose. The need for belonging is fundamental for the human being to be able to engage and think of solutions that meet this purpose.
Stimulating creativity and autonomy
There is no point in wanting to implement a culture of innovation if all creative and innovative processes are surrounded by a series of bureaucratic or ideological barriers. Your team should be encouraged to create, but for them to feel comfortable with it, there must be autonomy. The biggest complaint of creative people in work environments is precisely the lack of autonomy. Remember that in a crisis, testing is necessary. So, give your team freedom and create opportunities for reviewing processes and questioning strict protocols.
Focus on empathy internally and externally
The moment is one of empathy and solidarity. We have to think about the community to be able to overcome this moment. How can I help the other? Whether with an action or a word, there is a good way to empathize internally with your team and your client. Communications need to be welcoming, as it is a time of great world stress and unprecedented in the last 100 years. It is an excellent time to keep your ears open and practice empathy.
Culture of error and risk acceptance
Recognizing good ideas and providing the environment and tools necessary for them to develop is the basis but accepting the risk that even the best ideas may not validate or that mistakes will happen in the process is what will give oxygen and life to the culture of innovation. Remember that innovation is a funnel. That the more ideas and solutions that are tested the greater the probability of success. But that this path involves the acceptance that several will also not reach the implementation. This does not mean cultivating error, but rather valuing new errors.
Creating a culture of innovation is a process
As we have already highlighted, it is the actions and processes that form a culture and this cultural value must always be reviewed, after all, innovating is just about thinking about new forms of action for optimized results. It is worth noting that the central focus of a culture is people and they are necessary for the maintenance of processes to be carried out.
Respect, recognition, empathy, encouragement and the human factor are the keywords for the culture to be strengthened.
So, reflect: what have you been doing in your company in relation to these main points? Pull your team together and build these values together, with equity in dialogue and incentive for action.
Try working on a big problem in your life or in your company or organization in the future as you think about innovation. Then, consider how you can make a difference to over one billion people. It's impossible to innovate without passion. Discover the 20 greatest innovators and the soft skills you need to achieve your goals.
Existem muitas ideias e projetos inovadores. Utilizá-los pode transformar completamente a forma como percebemos o mundo e realizamos nossas tarefas diárias. Algumas invenções são tão voltadas para o futuro que estabelecem um legado para as gerações futuras. Parece que pessoas brilhantes podem construir tudo o que você possa imaginar, incluindo gadgets, veículos e quase qualquer outra coisa. O pensamento inventivo é geralmente caracterizado por romper com o status quo. Métodos inovadores podem tornar os métodos antigos obsoletos e introduzir paradigmas novos e imprevisíveis. Um verdadeiro inovador é alguém que inova novas ideias e as traz à vida. Inovar significa criar algo que torne a vida melhor. A paixão é a chave para a inovação. O mundo parece diferente para os inovadores. Como resultado, eles ficam obcecados em tornar o mundo um lugar melhor. Inovadores com fins lucrativos estão sempre tentando agregar valor ao mercado. Algumas pessoas se concentram em impulsionar a raça humana por meio de pesquisas básicas. Seja qual for o setor em que atuamos, todos trabalhamos incansavelmente para resolver problemas e criar um mundo melhor. A civilização humana testemunhou muitas maravilhas da engenharia ao longo da história, algumas das quais melhoraram a qualidade de vida e outras foram destrutivas. Por outro lado, no mundo dos negócios acelerado de hoje, continuar melhorando é uma maneira essencial de desenvolver sua mentalidade inovadora e preencher qualquer lacuna de habilidades que sua equipe possa ter. O relatório LinkedIn 2023 Most In-Demand Skills mostra que as soft skills, tanto usadas dentro da empresa (como resolução de problemas, liderança e tomada de decisão) quanto fora (alcançar e reter clientes) estão entre as que as empresas mais precisam neste momento. Então, vamos dar uma olhada nos 20 maiores inovadores de todos os tempos e nas habilidades que os fizeram ter sucesso: Aqui estão os 20 maiores inovadores de todos os tempos. 6 principais soft skills para você e sua equipe alcançarem seus objetivos. Em um mundo de automação, são as soft skills que diferenciam.