Change Starts Here Building a
Culture of Innovation in Your Company

Climate is the tenor of
the workplace ecosystem. • • • • A truly innovative climate: Cultivates engagement and enthusiasm Challenges people to take risks Fosters learning Encourages independent thinking.

Developing a culture of innovation
within your company requires a willingness to change, an objective perspective, and a little bit of fearlessness.

Are you supporting a culture
of innovation in your organization, or stifling it? Here’s how to make sure you’re laying a solid foundation for innovators.

Stop assumptions in their tracks.
Although assumptions are sometimes the byproduct of knowledge and efficiency, they also stifle ideas and innovation.

Avoid the pitfalls of over-speculating
by: • Allowing preconceived notions to take a backseat to new ideas and methods. • Treating experiences as lessons, not standards. • Consistently checking individual expectations against company initiatives and team goals.

Don’t be afraid. When management
reacts negatively to a new idea or a failed project, it creates a fear of failure. A failure to fail results in completely predictable, inthe-box thinking, and a massive roadblock for innovation.

To better tolerate risk and
failure, remember: • People are more creative and innovative when they are free to share honest ideas. • Accepting risks is the first step to taking them. • View failure as a learning opportunity, and don’t fail the same way twice. • Allow enough time for innovative ideas to develop, and encourage champions.

Innovation is not optional. Though
initiating an innovation pipeline takes time and resources, it is no longer an optional strategy. Treating it like a superfluous initiative is a particularly disruptive cultural trait that causes companies to fall behind and fall apart in the face of increasing competition.

Drive home the necessity of
innovation as a program by: • Making innovation a part of every aspect of your business to create lasting, repeatable results. • Allocate personal time for individuals to spend on innovation. • Require all employees to access your innovation program, and reward those that contribute.

Measure everything. Some companies believe
innovation can’t be measured, but that’s simply not true. Innovation management software can measure results, helping drive new business value. Enabling technology helps companies improve agility, productivity, and time-to-market by enabling better decision-making, visibility, and efficiency across the company.

“Employees’ cognitive surplus is the
most valuable, most under-utilized asset organizations have.” - From “Innovation, Culture, and Social Technologies: Getting Real Work Done”

Use analytics to: • Develop
targeted, goal-oriented innovation programs • Identify patterns to inform future projects • Demonstrate program effectiveness • Surface best practices • Generate unbiased ideation and voting systems

Change starts with you. Nurturing
a culture of innovation requires a good deal of flexibility and focus, and a dedication to putting the best people, programs, and processes in place to ensure market relevance and differentiation.

Get Started Today. To learn
more about Mindjet’s innovation management solutions, go to www.mindjet.com.