Innovative company culture is based on constant sharing of innovation suggestions for products, services, marketing, sales, processes, etc. Team members can give more value to customers and company if they are engaged on a more creative and innovative level instead of being operational and passive. Here are 3 tips on how to build an innovation culture inside your company:
Explain that innovation can be done everywhere – in services, marketing, sales, processes
Many team members are blocked by thinking innovation is a word for new products. They think it is R&D which is usually big and expensive. This makes them passive, while they wait for someone else to innovate. Fact is that improving supporting services, marketing, sales, and other processes can deliver a lot of competitive value to customers and company.
Explain that innovation does not need to be big
There are all kinds of innovations. Some are big but majority is small. Also big innovations do not work unless small innovations do not support them. Idea that innovation can only be big is another way to block team members into waiting for someone else to innovate while they remain passive and operational. Fact is that small innovations are necessary, valuable, and add up.
Consider every innovation suggestion as training and motivation
In some companies 1 in 1,000 innovation suggestions becomes a product. This does not mean that unrealized innovation suggestions are not valuable. Engaging team members in innovation is highly motivating and is a good way to increase their know-how of products and customers.
Innovation is only an addition to the company culture. It works well with sales, marketing, product design, strategy. It should be seen as a spice that makes everything a bit better, and not a revolution.
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