FOSTERING INNOVATIVE CULTURES

How can innovation thrive when an organisation neglects to foster a culture where at least 66% of its employees actively engage in experimentation and learning?

Fostering Innovation using the 4RS Course

Innovation and Change Management Theme > Fostering Innovative Cultures

How can an organisation nurture an innovative environment in the workplace?

Innovation starts with people. When employees feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas, and have opportunities to experiment, fail and learn, it creates a nurturing environment where innovation can thrive.

Based on a benchmarking study by Treehouse, senior executives from leading organisations agree that the standout characteristic of innovative organisations is that at least 66% of their employees are actively engaged in innovation. Some of these employees may be active facilitators and enablers of innovation, whilst others contribute to shaping the setting and culture in which innovation can grow and flourish. It is these behaviour traits that create a culture where innovation can flourish.

Let’s look at this in more detail in a simplified and summarised overview of the Treehouse Enabling and Fostering Innovation Competency model:

Fostering Innovation the four levels:

Employees at this level know that innovation is important and have been exposed to the principles used to foster innovation.
They have observed how innovation benefits the organisation by enhancing business value and increasing customer satisfaction.
Believe in innovation and the tangible benefits it brings.
Understand the stages of innovation and the Four Rs (respect, reciprocity, responsibility and reflection).
Experienced participator in innovation activities and proposals.
Knows that successful innovation requires the insight, people, culture, tools and processes to successfully transform ideas into business benefits.
Manages the local or short-term negative outcomes of innovation.
Fosters a culture of innovation, rewarding those who make the organisation think.
Fosters an innovative culture across the ecosystem and views innovation as a long-term strategy.
Knows how to alleviate innovation fatigue and stress.
Uses appropriate influencing strategies to navigate around organisational obstacles.
Ensures a bias to action and walks the talk.

As our research indicates, for an organisation to be innovative, two thirds (66%) of your employees need to be either fostering or enabling innovation. Are they?

Does your organisation support innovation?

Do your employees feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas, and learning from mistakes? To understand the ethos within your organisation we first undertake an Innovation Cultural Audit.

Treehouse’s Innovation Cultural Audit is based on the 4Rs and identifies how innovative your organisation is, and pinpoints areas that require focus. You can choose to segment the results by department, line of work, or organisational hierarchy.

See the audit sample provided below. Excluding the statements relating to Respect, all other areas received over 50% negative ratings. Notably, the Responsiblity and Reciprocity pie charts stand out as an area requiring attention. The report’s detailed analysis reveals a gap in support and resources, which are essential for fostering a truly innovative team.

This slide below shows the results of an audit and is segmented by hierarchy within the organisation.

Discovering what steps can enhance your organisation’s innovation capabilities is the key outcome of our Innovation Cultural Audit. It is an integral part of informing our Fostering Innovative Cultures and Enabling and Facilitating Innovation courses.

The roadmap to creating a culture of innovation

Innovation thrives in an environment where diverse views and voices are heard, encouraged, and valued, where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning, and continuous feedback loops are established.

When people believe that they can speak up and challenge the status quo without feeling exposed, they are more likely to experiment with new approaches and learn from failures. Our Fostering Innovative Cultures course works towards this goal, helping organisations to identify and remove the barriers to innovation.