Today’s business world moves quickly. Without innovation, nearly any company can falter, leading them to fall behind the competition. With innovation, it is possible to stay ahead of competitors, creating an advantage that you can leverage as a means of reaching greater levels of success.
One approach that can help your company excel is to partner with an ISO 9001:2015 certified company like nTech. Organizations with the certification meet the highest standards for quality management and are dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation, ensuring that you receive the most value from the partnership.
How can your team get started with building a culture of continuous innovation?
If you want innovative thinking to have a home in your company, then open communication is a must. Employees must feel safe expressing their ideas, and the conversations need to travel both up and down the company’s hierarchy efficiently.
A method that can improve communication in this area is to create a central place for these discussions. For example, a forum on the intranet may be an efficient approach as it not only allows individuals to express their ideas but for others to discuss them.
Similarly, providing positive feedback for every contribution is also essential. Even if the idea isn’t pursued, letting the employee know that their effort is appreciated helps craft a culture that supports innovative thinking.
In many cases, trying to force employees to innovate isn’t very effective. For example, scheduling a meeting around the idea of discussing ideas might not yield results, as inspiration rarely strikes according to a schedule. Plus, if too much pressure is applied, it may stifle creative thinking, which is the exact opposite of what you want to accomplish.
Instead of trying to force innovation, create more organic opportunities for sharing. For instance, forgo hosting a brainstorming session on a specific point and instead have every meeting end with a few minutes for discussing ideas, even if they aren’t focused on the core topic. Have managers maintain open-door policies whenever possible or hold walk-in hours for their teams. Create an online submission form that is completely private, allowing shier employees to express their ideas without having to do so publicly.
All of these approaches allow ideas to be discussed more naturally and when they occur instead of trying to form innovative thinking into a box.
Employees can’t help the company overcome challenges they don’t know exist. Additionally, withholding information can create a culture based on secrecy and distrust, and that doesn’t promote innovation.
When you keep workers in the loop in regard to current company strategies and difficulties, the level of transparency breeds trust. Then, by inviting them to provide ideas that can lead to solutions, they feel welcomed into the problem-solving process, making them more comfortable should they have a thought they’d like to express.
Ultimately, by following the tips above, you can foster continuous innovation in the workplace. If you’d like more suggestions, the professionals at nTech can help. Contact us to discuss your goals today and see how our business expertise can benefit you.