Overview to Developing an Innovative Culture

The main barriers to innovation are cultural. Any strategy which contemplates change must understand and address the culture of the organization.

 Corporate innovativeness is based on having a culture which is supportive of change [See Four Management Themes for an Innovative Culture].

The need for innovation is partly determined by the industry in which the business operates. Some industries may not have to be as innovative as others if the dynamic of product and process change is not significant. On the other hand, it is better to be ahead of the competition.

There are many ways of improving the culture for innovation. The choice of enabling mechanisms or the introduction of new corporate policies or the means of communication are legion. Knowing more about the culture of your organization; how it may differ from the ideal situation, or from the practice of industry competitors, is an essential first step to developing an innovative culture.

Definitions

Innovation – the act of introducing something new.
There is a danger of limiting any discussion of innovation entirely to the subject of new products or service introductions. Certainly new product introductions are an important sign that innovation is working but there are many ways a corporation can make inroads into the market and compete. New products often represent a high risk approach to innovation, at least when compared to many of the process improvement which can be implemented with less risk and minimal resources. Innovation is not always about breakthroughs as these, while exciting and likely profitable, occur much less frequently than process improvements.

Culture – the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.
It takes time to build a culture in the first place, however to change the culture of a corporation is an even greater challenge. It is also easier to lose a culture than build one.