Successful organizations are those that are bold enough to bring in new solutions to recurring problems. No matter the sector your enterprise is in, you need to develop ways to address common hurdles to productivity, cohesion, and growth. If your organization is serious about development, it needs to foster an internal environment where ideas are shared, tested, and implemented to improve efficiency. It’s crucial for business leaders and HR managers to think about encouraging everyone in the office to take part in innovation.
Innovation isn’t just about coming up with something new; it’s also about helping employees play a more active role in taking the company to greater heights. This study from the National Library of Medicine highlights how the innovative work behaviors of employees contribute to an organization’s competitive advantage within the local market. That alone should be enough reason to think about how you should get everyone to value innovation not just as an organizational initiative, but also as an opportunity for professional advancement. Here’s how HR departments can play a frontline role in this:
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1. Cultivate a growth mindset
Innovation and growth are never separate; you achieve one by accomplishing the other. Championing innovation isn’t just a matter of putting the word on a piece of paper. It’s also about fostering a growth mindset, allowing employees to see their skills and knowledge as critical to the collective success of the organization. Whether you’re in financial services or the tech sector, you will have to show your employees that your enterprise is all about helping them realize their value in building the organization.
A growth mindset is achieved first by offering opportunities for professional advancement. Any organization that deprives its employees of critical experiences to acquire new skills or reinforce existing ones will eventually end up having to spend more money on recruitment.
What’s worse is that there’s a good chance of losing an excellent employee who feels as though their skills are being overlooked. It matters that your organization set aside resources for on-site training programs and provide support to employees who are willing to undergo continuing education. Doing so allows your employees to contribute to critical decision-making activities.
2. Encourage open communication
According to Gartner, 77% of employees in an organization sustained by proper communication are more likely to perform better with their co-workers. Open communication also creates an environment that encourages collaboration and creativity. This is due to the fact that such an environment fuels productivity, allowing teams to perform with a sense of accountability and a willingness to share and test different ideas that can lead to better products and solutions to problems that get in the way of long-term success.
Taking this into account, you need to think about creating an environment where employees are able to take part in productive brainstorming sessions and encourage them to offer constructive feedback. Although this may backfire by highlighting competition over collaboration, your organization can succeed in this by emphasizing accountability and transparency. This would also mean allowing different departments to work together in dealing with problems that affect their respective areas. Breaking down barriers this way can help lead to greater innovation as everyone knows they are allowed to collaborate creatively.
3. Impose changes effectively
Focusing on innovation would mean having to change the systems you think are outdated or serve more as hindrances to growth. However, not everyone will take change initiatives positively. Some may even show varying degrees of resistance as they realize that they have to abandon processes and workflows they’re already familiar with. There’s often a sense of discomfort whenever they’re introduced to new tools and approaches, but you, as an HR professional, shouldn’t be surprised.
All you have to do at this point is to introduce change as necessary rather than attempt to “dictate” the way they work. It’s only a matter of introducing to them in clear terms what they should expect as the organization goes in a new direction. It also helps if you could introduce such changes gradually, taking your time to train leaders who can aid in implementation. You can even get a change management professional to handle the more intricate aspects of the initiative, from a change of leadership to seeking out possible areas of improvement.
4. Build and support effective teams
As your organization focuses on developing new products and services, you will need only the best people leading the charge. Even with the other tips in this list, developing new systems and offers won’t be achieved when you lack empowered teams. It all starts with recruiting people who can fill in the gaps that remain in your organization. When it comes to running recruitment campaigns, put a premium on candidates who show not just competence and experience but also a positive attitude towards trying out new things.
What’s more, the success of your innovation initiatives will also depend on how well you prepare existing employees to assume critical leadership roles. Support employees who are well-known for contributing new ideas and identifying problems. You may need to provide these teams with the material and financial support they need to do their jobs.
Endnote
Innovation is a process that requires buy-in from employees and setting aside critical resources and tools. No matter the stage your organization has reached, prioritizing this will help you become more competitive in your sector.
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