With technology changing rapidly, with markets and the ways people buy things changing rapidly, with technology changing the ways communities communicatey- the company that is able to create a culture of change and adaptation will be ahead of the company that is thriving now but happily ensconced in set patterns.
The future belongs to companies that can evolve and adapt to change.
As the business environment changes, friction points change.
So it makes sense to adapt a culture of innovation, but how might one do that?
We have to fine-tune our enlightened leadership here.
- You need slack.
- Your key players need slack
- We need to have clear business objectives.
- We have to engage people.
Now we are ready to encourage a culture of innovation.
We will start with easy and proceed to more difficult. Some points of friction are easier solved than others.
Friction has to be dealt with in proper order like taking a knot out of your shoelace. Ever had to get remove a tangle from your fishing line? You study the situation- think about the big ones swimming by while your gear is messed up- and then proceed to untangle in a sensible order.
Here is a simple outline for dealing with friction points.
- Points of Friction are simple.
- The interaction of frictions are complex and makes everything look very complicated.
- Solution: We break down the friction points and determine the impact of each.
- We start with the most effective change that we determine through a change management matrix.
- We start making improvements and we become more productive and the overall complexity is reduced.
- We make more money, we improve robustness of business processes and we can better afford to take on more change and more risk.
A company continuously improving is on the path to an easy no sweat business development system.
We need a mechanism for gathering the suggestions of our employees. They are going to be ready to contribute.
Have your employees been complaining lately 
Yes, they do tend to do that on occasions. Let do something really innovative about it.
Lets create a system where employees are encouraged to contribute ideas through a documentation process
- how does the problem impact their workload
- Is there an impact on customer service?
- What do they see as a solution?
You can’t go wrong here. Every employee can develop an owner’s attitude. Nothing inspires employees more to be more engaged and productive than to empower them- to give them a substantial role in your business.
This process has to be taken very seriously. You need a process for evaluating the issues raised and getting back to the employee with a response. Not just a nice empty pat on the head. This is a matter of respect. It is also a matter of creating a culture of innovation.
What is on your mind? What needs to pointed out here? Leave a comment below or feel free to email or call.
