Leadership: Creating A Culture Where Innovation Thrives

Succeeding at innovation requires more than just the requisite technical and analytic skills

Some companies approach innovation the way some leaders approach humility – superficially. Simply stating we are innovative, or even aligning it to an espoused value, does nothing to infuse innovation as part of our culture, of “the way things get done around here.” To have a culture of innovation is to have employees perceive that the organization supports innovation and responds positively to ideas-based change derived from innovative thought. 
 

Innovation is a broad word that will always mean different things to different people. It can range anywhere from small improvements achieved through kaizen, up through transformational change to our products, services, and even our business models. This innovation can drive change, such as realized through design thinking. Change can also drive innovation, such as realized by strategic plans with their breakthrough objectives and new ways of thinking. 

Traditional Lean thinkers tend to believe that kaizen, or continuous improvement, refers to everyday activities, while innovation involves larger and more strategic initiatives. I would agree with that. But they also tend to believe that kaizen is people-oriented while innovation is money or technology-oriented. I would disagree with that. 

If innovation only required money, then the wealthiest companies would be the most innovative. That is hardly the case. And while technology is important to innovation, people develop that technology. Innovation is very much people-focused. 

Succeeding at innovation requires more than just the requisite technical and analytic skills. The culture must openly embrace innovation, else it will be short-lived. We need to think of innovation as an inherent political activity, as it can threaten the status quo. It may even be perceived as a threat. It’s critical to be aware of these undertones when implementing ideas-driven change as we move toward excellence. The role of the leader here is to provide a safe environment for innovation to thrive. 

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helps us understand the importance of this safe environment. Change presents the unknown. Pursuing excellence results in transformational change and a great deal of unknown. Bold effort will be required to create what doesn’t exist. If those affected have unsatisfied physiological and safety concerns, there’s little hope of them moving forward. We must first satisfy these two basic needs. Then we can address their belonging and esteem needs for innovation to become a path for the new way things get done around here. And we do this by creating a safe environment. 

A safe environment helps encourage new ideas and new ways of thinking. It allows people to experiment and think differently without retribution. A safe environment includes frequent explaining and communication by leadership throughout the change process. And a safe environment has barriers emplaced to protect people from harm, especially in those areas perceived to be threatening. 

Think about a caring parent teaching their child to ride a bike. 

We could plot most any child’s commitment and competency for the task. My bet is the plot would mirror the standard change curve. We can take this example a little deeper and discover the parent’s leadership style would follow the path predicted by situational leadership. Their leadership would likely start out as directive, explaining the bike and what to do and not do, and then progress through coaching, supporting, and finally to delegating once the child masters the task. 

Now think about the parent’s behavior along the way. Mistakes are not followed by punishment. But each positive achievement is surely met with enthusiastic praise and celebration. This process of rewarding without punishing increases competence and commitment from the new rider. It also helps reduce the time to move through the change curve and master the skill. 

This process of creating a safe environment and then realizing greater rewards faster is a wonderful thing. In business, it’s also a rare thing, except in those companies that have achieved excellence. 

This concept of innovation is important. But we can’t teach people to be innovative. Well, let me correct that. We can train them on concepts such as innovation sprints, but real innovation comes from within. 

No one knows how our business models will change in our new world. But I believe it’s safe to predict innovation will become even more important. While we can’t predict the future and plan for things that are yet to come, we can ensure that we’re creating a safe environment where innovation can thrive. 

Author Bio

Brian Strobel, author of Pursuing Excellence, is the Vice President of Quality for a major aerospace and defense company. A leadership expert and former Marine officer, he has been leading people in operational environments for thirty years.  He’s directed large-scale military operations and change-management programs across major companies. He’s certified as a trainer for Situational Leadership, a professional coach, a Lean Six Sigma expert, and a Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence. Strobel, whose first book, Leading Change From Within, was published in 2015, is based in Reno, Nevada. Visit www.brianstrobel.com Connect Brian Strobel