While ‘innovation’ has become a buzzword to attract new talent into the organization, very little efforts go towards retaining the talent by putting innovation into action. Anyone desirous of being worth his/her salt wouldn’t want to engage into rigmarole under the pretence of a job. There are names and brands that can be quintessentially associated with innovation and it is a no-brainer that the same names also feature in the most preferred places to work at.
The question “Is innovation vital to the success of an organization?” is far less debatable than “Can all organizations be equally innovative?” The DNA of any organization gets defined by the industry that it operates in, the regulations that govern its functions, the demographics of its workforce and the vision of the top echelons of the organizational structure. Differences may exist in the visibility of innovation between companies. For example, a company that operates in the domain of technology can very well market itself as being ‘innovative’ by offering its customers cutting edge technology. However, by the mere nature of its operations a company that operates in the service industry may have innovation simmering under the surface which could manifest itself as better customer satisfaction at each of its customer touch points.
The transformation from being an organization which has stood the test of time either through flashes of brilliance from the top management or by the simple capacity of the people in the lower rungs to accept and execute the grind that’s thrown at them or by a sheer stroke of luck, to one that would imbibe innovation into its blood is like moving the tectonic plates that the organization hitherto rested on. The message of such paradigm shift should be heralded by the top management. By harnessing effective marketing and communication techniques a positive vibe should be created to rope in the most important stakeholders – the employees. It’s very important to answer the question – ‘What’s in it for me’? The answer could be different for different sets of workforce depending on their pecking order. It’s important to address each of these to arrive at a symbiotic value proposition.
Communication channels should be thrown open to let the people on the floor voice their thoughts, share their concerns, challenge the process. Some of the most effective solutions do not emerge out of closed door board room meetings but from the little ‘what-ifs’ that cross the minds of the people at work on the floor. The vantage that this majority enjoys over that of the top management should never be sidelined. Individuals who can serve as catalysts for such dissemination of information should be identified and act as the single point of contact to streamline the process. They would also play a pivotal role in organizing smaller work groups who would work towards alleviating self-identified pain areas under the mentoring of a senior or a subject matter expert who can channelize their energy in the right direction but at the same time maintaining a neutral stake.
Periodic reviews and meetings with set milestones should be in place to help track the progress. It is equally important to quantify the achieved results at every stage in order to give a feeling of accomplishment rather than a mere “Ah ha!” moment on the successful completion of the undertaken task. It should be supplemented by an acknowledgment as deemed appropriate keeping in mind the workforce involved and the real motivation that made these people stand up on their feet and act. This in turn would provide the impetus for undertaking the next big thing, for combating the next big challenge and for approaching the next big pain area head-on. The ball would just be set rolling!
No organization is strong enough to fight obsolescence rendered by adopting a conservative attitude. The world is changing at the speed of thought. Organizations can either adapt themselves to the changing times or snuggle in their current positions resisting change and breed disgruntled employees. And let us not forget that any organization is only as good as its employees!
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in February, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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—About our writer:
A versatile writer who can weave words and weigh them at the same time, Shilpa is a blogger by hobby and a writer by habit. She has served as an editor/writer in the Public Relations Committee of one of India's top tier B-schools. She has supported social causes/campaigns through her writing. Shilpa holds an engineering degree with an MBA and is currently working as an analyst at a leading multinational bank.
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