How do you promote innovation in your organization?
Innovation seems to be a Buzz word these days. Each organization is giving a lot of emphasis on it and at the same time it is also becoming the most abusive word. Every new thing is not an innovation. In my organization also there is a drive started to promote the innovation culture and some how i got involved in that.
I want to know how do you promote an Innovative culture. Are there some verified ways which drive people to think in that way. I am looking for an answer that tells me how I can motivate people and give them some direction so that they stretch their imagination and come up with new ideas.
Answer
Innovation in an existing organisation will nearly always challenge the status quo. Unless you're incredibly lucky you'll need a senior person to get you through the political mine field that causes. Assuming you have that, your champion, a good approach to innovation is a reasonable incentive, how about Ipod/Cash Prize, to enter write up a single idea on 1 side of paper, you can enter as many times as you want.
Also ask all your new hires for ideas, they're invaluable because they don't know what can't be done, they haven't been coloured by your culture.