Innovation Culture: A motivating mindset

Why create an innovation culture?

Innovation is one of the hottest topics in today’s business world. All companies want to be “innovative.” But what does this really mean? According to Stephen Shapiro, “innovation is ‘an organization’s ability to adapt and evolve repeatedly and rapidly to stay one step ahead of the competition.’ A culture of innovation, when done right, gives you a competitive edge because it makes you more nimble with an increased ability to sense and respond to change.”

Wait – What exactly is an innovation culture?

Innovation is not just about new ideas. As much as it is a process, innovation is also a mindset. Attitude, expectations, strategy and policy all play a role in fostering an innovation culture within a company.

Building an innovation culture

In his article Six Secrets to Creating a Culture of Innovation, author Tony Schwartz provides great advice by listing six fundamental moves that organizations must follow to create an innovation culture. Here are some of his main points:

Meet people’s needs
The key to creativity is to ask employees what they need in order to perform at their best.

Nurture Passion
Companies should let employees exert their imagination. Look for small ways to give employees, at every level, the opportunity and encouragement to follow their interests and express their unique talents.

Make the Work Matter
“To feel truly motivated, we have to believe what we’re doing really matters.”

How OneDesk helps create an innovation culture

Keeping these pointers in mind, OneDesk is ideal for this. Managers can collaborate with their employees using social collaboration tools such as chat and discussion forums. This makes it easier for them to understand how employees work, and what they need. OneDesk also facilitates the idea gathering process by allowing companies to collect ideas and feedback from customers, employees, and even business partners into one system. The customer portal allows employees to collaborate with customers and find out what they really want. Then, the whole team can work together to develop products that matter to customers.

We want to know: What does your company do to create an innovation culture?