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Creating a culture of innovation

Successful organisations in the 21^st century will be those that innovate and learn. Whether in the competitive private sector or the public sector, organisations will succeed through superior strategy and leadership, a superior workforce and the ability to continuously innovate.

“Now more than ever, competitive advantage comes from the ability to transform ideas into value -- through process innovation, strategic insights and customized services”. Bill Gates

Innovation requires organisations to tap the creativity within them. Working in a team of likeminded individuals with the same outlook may feel comfortable and this is why so many organisations tend to unwittingly employ and promote clones of those already there. But organisations which can manage diverse teams effectively, bringing together disparate styles and talents, will reap rewards in terms of superior innovation. Men and women bring different skills, perspectives and working styles into the workplace. The presence of these different voices generates discussion and challenges established thinking about products and services and the working practices which deliver them.

Innovation provides the seeds for economic growth, and for that innovation to happen depends as much on collective difference as on aggregate ability. If people think alike then no matter how smart they are they most likely will get stuck at the same locally optimal solutions. Finding new and better solutions, innovating, requires thinking differently. That’s why diversity powers innovation. (Scott E. Page Professor of Complex Systems, Political Science, and Economics at the University of Michigan[1])

Diversity and “Hot Spots”

Innovation happens in “Hot Spots”. In her book about Hot Spots[2] Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School identifies Hot Spots thus: “You feel energized and vibrantly alive. Your brain is buzzing with ideas, and the people around you share your joy and excitement. …..Times when the ideas and insights from others miraculously combine with your own in a process of synthesis from which spring novelty, new ideas, and innovation”

Gratton identifies three elements which combine to produce a Hot Spot: cooperative mindset, boundary spanning and igniting purpose. The igniting purpose releases the energy in the Hot Spot; it is the thing that people find exciting, interesting and worth engaging with. But a Hot Spot requires the interaction of a cooperative mindset and boundary spanning to create the energy. Both of these need a culture which embraces diversity.

Cooperative mindset, “the exciting skilful and cooperative relationships which fuel the exchange of insights and knowledge”, requires a workplace culture and processes which support every individual to achieve their potential and where difference is respected and valued.
Boundary spanning is where cooperation occurs between people from different groups and communities, allowing the exploration of novel insights and ideas that open the possibility of innovative solutions. Boundaries can be spanned across groups, teams, departments, countries or even companies. Gratton identifies that innovation is most likely to occur where people have different mindsets and with people who are relative strangers. Diversity is therefore the prerequisite of boundary spanning, developing a culture where different mindsets are welcomed, valued and feel empowered to challenge the status quo.

[1] www.americanprogress.org

[2] “Hot Spots” why some teams organisations and workplaces buzz with energy and others don’t” Lynda Gratton 2007