How to Start Building a Culture of Innovation

Once of the most frequently asked questions I field from managers is: How do I start to create a culture of companywide creativity and innovation?

I love the question because I believe that innovation must occur at every level of the company. Now, that doesn’t mean (necessarily) that the receptionist is going to create your next breakthrough product. But it does mean that everyone must look for and find a way to do their work better than it’s ever been done before, and to do that at as often as possible, even every day.

But the answer to the question is very challenging, because I so often hear the sound of “idea silence” in both big and small businesses. It sounds like this:

“I can’t get my ideas heard.”

“I’ve suggested several improvements, but nothing came of it.”

“We have a command and control culture. Forget creativity.”

Sound familiar? So what’s a manager to do?

Step one is understanding that innovation is everyone’s job. Think about it: where does the greatest cumulative potential reside? On the front lines. There are simply more people on the front lines, more working with your system every day, more serving customers daily. So it all starts with understanding that building a portfolio of cross-company ideas is like building any other high-performing portfolio: it’s a numbers game.

The challenge then is how to draw out the creative power of people in an organized, systematic way that provides a safe haven for everyone involved, declaws the fear of failure, and begins to embed a real discipline around finding and solving problems.

My suggestion is to shy away from big programs, and start with a single team—one manager and a natural work group. Let’s say that manager is you. (The strategy is the same whether you’re CEO or a first-rung supervisor, but know that change spreads and happens faster at the front lines.)

You now strike a deal up front. Meaning, you agree to to say “yes” to your team’s idea or solution, one they choose, if it meets the right criteria:

1. The team is to work in the general territory of something you feel needs attention—something of concern or that clearly advances a current business objective. (It’s probably something that keeps you up at night).

2. The idea theme must concern something within your base of responsibility, power and control—something you can sanction immediately without further approval.

3. The team is to develop a no- or low-cost solution that can be piloted quickly.

4. The team works on a problem they all touch and have working knowledge of.

5. The project must result in a clear value enhancement: quality, cost, speed, etc.

6. The project is an experiment, and nothing gets broad execution until the learning is captured and there’s a compelling case for feeding it forward.

But—(you knew this was coming!)—there are a few don’ts:

• Don’t address an area where there is no consensus on the issue’s importance to the company or customers.

• Don’t head for an area lacking good visibility.

• Don’t work on something where results won’t show up for months.

• Don’t pick an area fraught with controversy.

• Don’t select an area lacking strong interest.

• Don’t select something beyond the control of the team.

• Don’t target an issue already undergoing study or change.

• Don’t use this as an opportunity to execute an already developed solution.

• And here’s the big one: don’t head for anything that isn’t part of the daily work.

As the manager and champion, you’re not part of the problem-solving team. You’re the sanctioning body. A big part of your role is answering the two questions that will be foremost on their mind: Why am I here? and What is the objective? So you need to provide the context, issue the challenge and convey the importance of the team. You need to talk about the importance of improving things for your customers.

One of the best ways to do all of that is to talk about the gap between today and tomorrow, as you see it. Tell the team why they have been chosen. Tell them the scope and direction of where you’d like them to exert their best thinking. Tell them that you have no preconceived solutions, that the specific problem addressed or project chosen is up to them, but that you’re looking for a simple, inexpensive solution that they can easily test out quickly.

Tell them that their engagement and thinking are more important than the outcome, and that the goal is to learn. Tell them they will run the test of their own solution and report the results, that you’re not looking for just a recommendation. Tell them that you look forward to hearing their idea. Show your appreciation in advance for the hard work.

These are some of specifics behind how I answer the question of how to begin building a culture of everyday innovation: one team at a time, one manageable idea at a time. The key is local autonomy.

Matthew E. May is an innovation consultant and the author of In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing. He blogs here. You can follow him on Twitter here.