9 Unconventional Ways To Inspire Innovation And Drive Growth

Making sure corporate leaders don’t rest on their laurels

No company, no matter how successful, can afford to rest on its laurels and stand still. The business landscape is perpetually evolving and unless company leaders evolve they run the risk of being overtaken by more agile competitors. Ongoing success and growth require a relentless commitment to continuous creative and innovative leadership to stay ahead of the pack.

Extensive research across different industries proves the point. Organizations that sustain a culture of creativity and innovation outperform conservative counterparts in the short and long term.

A McKinsey & Company study found that companies that prioritize leadership innovation experience, on average, have 50% higher revenue growth than their competitors.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) research indicated that companies recognized as innovation leaders by their peers delivered 2.6 times higher shareholder returns over a 10-year period compared to industry averages.

Research published in the Harvard Business Review found that companies with strong leadership in innovation outperformed their competitors in terms of market share, customer loyalty, and brand reputation. Creative and innovative leadership enables organizations to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and gain a competitive edge.

One study showed that nearly 8 out of 10 highly engaged employees regard their companies as having a culture that nurtures innovation. In comparison, only half of the least engaged employees feel the same.

Fortunately, creativity and innovation are alive and well if the number of patent applications is anything to go by. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), innovators around the world submitted nearly 3.5 million patent applications in 2022—a record high. Digital technology-related IP filings continued to power ahead, despite the backdrop of global uncertainty and the proportion of women inventors increased notably from 10.6% in 2008 to 17.1% in 2022.

But patents are often just the starting point. Successful innovation requires the hard work of implementation. I like the way a McKinsey report expressed this: “Innovation may sound like a creative art: hard to quantify, dependent on lightning-bolt inspiration, subject to the availability of magic dust and luck. Innovation indeed relies, to an extent, on the vagaries of ingenuity. But according to McKinsey research, innovation—and, crucially, the type of outperformance that innovation can spark in organizations—is much more likely to happen when there is a rigorous process in place to bring ideas to fruition.”

The big question: What can your organization do to be innovative, bring ideas to fruition, and be ahead of the pack? Consider some of these more outside-the-box, unconventional strategies.

Inverting the Hierarchy

Instead of adhering to a traditional top-down leadership structure, experiment with inverted hierarchies. In this approach, decision-making authority is decentralized, and front-line employees are empowered to make more autonomous decisions.

Hackathons

Organize hackathons and innovation challenges to encourage creativity and problem-solving among employees. These events provide teams with the opportunity to work on innovative projects outside of their usual responsibilities and collaborate across departments. A well-known example was Google's implementation of a "20% time" policy, allowing employees to spend a portion of their workweek on projects of their choosing.

Radical Transparency

Embrace radical transparency as a way to develop trust and accountability. This might involve sharing detailed financial information, strategic plans, and even employee salaries with all members of the organization.

Unconventional Hiring

Rethink traditional hiring practices to attract diverse talent and foster creativity. Consider blind hiring techniques to eliminate bias or employ unconventional interview methods such as escape rooms or role-playing scenarios to assess candidates' problem-solving skills and cultural fit.

Encourage Failure

Instead of punishing failure, encourage it as a necessary part of the learning process. Create a culture where employees feel comfortable taking risks, experimenting with new ideas, and learning from their mistakes.

Implement a Four-Day Week

Experiment using a four-day workweek as a way to boost productivity, employee morale, and work-life balance. By compressing the traditional 40-hour workweek into fewer days, employees have more time for rest and leisure, which can lead to increased creativity and innovation at work.

Mandatory Sabbaticals

Require employees to take extended sabbaticals after a certain number of years of service during which they can pursue personal interests, travel, or volunteer work. Opportunities for rest and rejuvenation, can prevent burnout and stimulate creativity and innovation when employees return.

Holocracy

Investigate the decentralized management philosophy known as Holocracy which replaces traditional hierarchical structures with self-organizing teams called "circles." Each circle has its own purpose and autonomy to make decisions within its domain. Holacracy aims to distribute authority more evenly throughout the organization and empower employees to take ownership of their work and responsibilities.

Imagine Opposites

Innovative thinkers have “the capacity to hold two diametrically opposing ideas in their heads,” says Roger Martin who was named the world’s #1 management thinker by Thinker50 in 2017. In his excellent book The Opposable Mind, he writes, “Without panicking or simply settling for one alternative or the other, they’re able to produce a synthesis that is superior to either opposing idea.”

Final Thoughts

These examples illustrate how innovative leaders are willing to challenge conventional wisdom and explore new ways of leading and organizing their teams. By embracing unconventional strategies, they can inspire creativity, nurture collaboration, and drive meaningful change within their organizations. While not suitable for every organization, they demonstrate the creativity and willingness to experiment which are hallmarks of innovative leadership. By thinking outside the box and embracing new ideas, leaders can inspire positive change and drive success in unexpected ways.

Jason Richmond is the CEO and Chief Culture Officer at Ideal Outcomes, Inc.