Innovation is something we’re told should be core to our organisational culture. It supports product development, helping to penetrate markets faster, and gives larger organisations the ability to compete with disruptive start-ups. However, in practice creating an innovation culture is incredibly hard and very few businesses can claim to be truly innovative.
So why is it so difficult to foster a culture of innovation?
At our recent Innovation Day, we explored one of the main reasons business fail to do this: the wrong working culture.
Mark Neild, University of Bristol’s Teaching Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Ana Cueva from KnowledgeBrief explored how creating the right culture and investing in leadership training fosters innovation and how you can apply this in your organisation.
What came out of our session and research was that innovative companies underpin their culture with four core principles.
“The Four Ps” are the basis for all creative and innovative problems to be solved
- Process:
Having the right processes for innovation to take place is not easy, but it is crucial. Giving individuals the space and tools to be creative, explore, to fail and to learn from experience needs to be included within the organisational processes.
- Product:
A successful, new and useful product will only be successful if it meets and satisfies the needs of your customers. Fundamental to product development is first listening to your customers and allowing them to voice their expectations and concerns when developing or updating their services.
- People:
People are the driving force of organisations. Taking care of their physical and mental health as well as promoting wellbeing and personal development will not only increase productivity but it also contributes to job satisfaction. Recent research suggests that optimism and positive views on work promote creativity and higher assertiveness when faced with decision making opportunities.
- Press:
Perhaps the most important of the four Ps, Press can be defined as the culture of the organisation and underpins the overall success of the company while influencing how the workforce and customers perceive the four principles.
So how can you use the Apprenticeship Levy to underpin your Innovation Culture with the “Four Ps”?
For the Levy to be successful in your organisation and to develop an Innovation Culture, where employees at all levels are working towards new and improved ways of working, you need consistency in your leadership and management training.
At the core of KnowledgeBrief’s leadership and management training programmes, is our Leadership at all Levels approach.
Whether it’s a level 2, 3 or 5 apprenticeship, Leadership at all Levels means programmes are designed to meet your objectives and employee’s needs, and provide you and your employees with the latest tools and techniques in business.
Crucially, your programmes are consistent in their delivery and message, as employees grow in their roles and advance in their careers.
It’s this consistency, and 11 years’ experience designing leadership and innovation training, that’s shaped our apprenticeship Levy programmes.
Here are three things you can do to start to influence change and create your innovation culture:
- Train your employees in research and how to evaluate processes by understanding project and operational management principles. Give them access to the tools and teach the theory to assess, critique and innovate your products and services.
- By focusing on your employee’s wellbeing, you will support them to become more self-aware, emotionally intelligent and better communicators. They will become more effective.
- Help your employees see where they fit into the wider organisational structure. This will help them understand and develop their roles as intrapreneurs (internal entrepreneurs) within your company.
Further related reading:
In her recent blog, KnowledgeBrief’s Dr Rossana Zetti discusses how tailored learning and development increases engagement.
If you would like to find out more about KnowledgeBrief’s Leadership and Management programmes and how they teach individuals the basis for innovation though the ‘four Ps’, please get in touch.