Seven steps for developing a Creative Culture.

Innovation is a company-wide activity. Creative, profitable ideas are needed to succeed, and history shows us that great ideas come from many different people. Instead of relying on ad hoc suggestions or the skills of a few talented individuals, companies need to create an innovative culture.

Where does innovation come from?

While some people are known for their innovative thinking, successful and profitable ideas can come from anyone. To tap into this potential, a culture is needed to empower people to question and think critically and creatively and share ideas with others.

Innovation is not a rarefied activity or the domain of specialists. Neither is it solely about making huge leaps in thinking – smaller, incremental improvements are also significant sources of advantage. Innovation is not necessarily about large R&D budgets – important new ideas come from anywhere, at any time. It is a company-wide activity, reaching every aspect of running a business – from products and services to operations, decision-making

and training. They’re all sources of competitive advantage, and having an innovative culture leads to continual improvements.

Creating an innovative organization

What distinguishes an innovative company from the rest is its dedication to creativity. Having the right culture and processes will lead to creative thinking, a challenging mindset and innovation. Innovative companies develop a creative culture where people challenge, innovate and look for opportunities. They adapt structures and procedures to enable innovation to flourish. Also, they often link with external experts to add to internal, innovative resources.

Peter Drucker outlines seven steps that promote innovation in a company:

1.   Analyze the reasons for unexpected successes.

2.   Examine why events were different from anticipated results.

3.   Challenge the status quo by examining why underperformance became an accepted state.

4.   Determine how to take advantage of market changes.

5.   Be aware of broader developments in society, to identify potential opportunities.

6.   Consider the impact of changes in the economy and recognize the business opportunities they may offer.

7.   Think about how new information, ideas and technology affect customers.

Innovative organizations also have a general environment and culture that values and fosters innovation. Researchers have identified five catalysts for successful innovation:

1.   Consciousness. Each person knows the goals of the organization and believes that they can play a part in achieving them.

2.   Multiplicity. Teams and groups contain a wide and creative mix of skills, experiences, backgrounds and ideas.

3.   Connectivity. Relationships are strong and trusting and are actively encouraged and supported within and across teams and functions.

4.   Accessibility. Doors and minds are open; everyone in the organization has access to resources, time and decision-makers.

5.   Consistency. Commitment to innovation runs throughout the organization and is built into processes and leadership style.

Before building an innovation culture in your business or team, ask yourself, which of these catalysts you can improve. How will you do this?