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Accenture

How to Breed an Innovative Company Culture

Posted by on 10 June 2013
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As of late, innovation has become the corporate buzzword because
it's one of the biggest mysteries to business leaders. But, you can't force
innovation to happen. Instead, it's about how you shape your corporate
environment so that innovation is possible.
A new study from Accenture, 'Why Low Risk Innovation Is Costly,' revealed that less than
one in five chief executives believes their company's strategic investments in
innovation are paying off, while half said their companies were less likely to
risk implementing breakthrough ideas. So, what are these unsuccessful CEOs and
their people doing wrong with their strategic investment in innovation? Innovation
only happens in the right environment, one where everyone is not only allowed
to innovate, but they are encouraged to bring new ideas to the table.
According to PJ Chan, a senior engagement leader at Kotter
International, a firm that helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation, here
are six tips to help breed a culture with
innovation
in its DNA:
Innovation only comes
by invitation
. Innovation takes place when people are free to raise ideas and
then implement them.
Innovation is not a
solo sport.
Many companies appoint an innovation department. The message
this sends to your organization is that innovation is 'their job' and 'not
mine.' While an idea may come from one
individual, it's the cross-functional creativity that brings innovation to life.
Encourage everyone to
test ideas
. If people wait for perfection before they put the idea to work,
the effort will lose steam before it ever gets off the ground.
Value the lessons
taken from failure and success.
The idea is not to encourage failure but to
foster innovation that leads to winning success.
Ensure this behavior
gets modeled at every level.
The senior leaders must be actively involved,
not just mandating the change.
Resist the desire to
project manage innovation
. It cannot be generated by focusing solely on
budgets, resources and timelines.

You can get innovative
ideas for encouraging innovation.
Consider offering awards for innovative
attempts or set an example, which
teaches that success comes only by trying often, failing often, revising and
trying again.
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