The word Innovation is perhaps the most overused word in business. If you were to ask 5 people the meaning, you would get 5 different answers. I have researched numerous definitions of innovation and there is no single good definition. For that reason, I combined the best definitions into one simple phrase for the purpose of this article. Innovation is executing on an idea that addresses a real problem and adds value to someone.
Anyone can be innovative under the right circumstances. Innovation does not just happen, it is purposeful and requires the right environment for it to take root and grow in your organization. Below are five ideas to create an innovative environment for your staff.
- Create time for employees to do special projects and explore
As an IT leader, we need to communicate, encourage and allocate time for staff to learn and grow. We all need dedicated time to play around with new concepts and ideas. Start by encouraging your staff to block off 1-2 days per month or some reasonable amount of time for special projects that relate to solving a business problem.
2. Reward new ideas and proof of concepts
People like rewards. Create an incentive program for people that come up with new ideas. Encourage staff to experiment with new solutions or concepts. The reward can be something simple like a gift card, free lunch, award certificates or just good old recognition. You could establish a challenge and make it fun. No matter how you do it, rewards are a good way to encourage participation and reward their efforts.
3. Create a safe environment
A playground that is segregated from the main IT environment is needed. People need an area where it is safe to play around with new technology without fear of impacting the production environment. This is very easy these days with virtualization, containerization and the use of cloud services. Check out why Docker is such a popular tool.
4. Share ideas
It is very important that ideas are shared. You could create a user group that is open to all and schedule regular meet-ups. Or, deploy an idea platform where ideas can be submitted, viewed and commented on by others. There are hundreds of such idea platforms such as BrightIdea. The possibilities are limitless.
5. Stay informed, attend training and go to conferences
Lastly, encourage your staff stay current and learn about new technologies. Go to a conference and bring your staff with you. Every time I attend a conference I try to include as many folks as possible. I always come away with a gigantic list of new ideas. This does not need to be expensive or require much time. There are many local conferences, user groups and tons of free training.
My final thoughts are, innovation does not just happen, leaders must thoughtfully provide the right environment for it to grow and take root. There are many additional ways to create an innovative environment. You can use these five ideas or come up with your own. Creating such an environment is just like planting seeds in your garden, you need fertile soil, water, and sunlight for the seeds to grow. The same concept applies to your staff, they are the seeds, you give them the right environment and a new innovative culture will begin to take root. It does not need to be perfect, it just needs the commitment by you and your seeds will grow.
Raising IT 