The Innovation Formula

PART IV ORGANISATION-LEVEL FACTORS

This final section of the book focuses on the variables that span the organisation as a whole. That is, these are elements that need to be present at not just an individual or team or leader level, but rather need to be ingrained into all parts and levels of a company. These variables are often the hardest ones to get right, given they need to be implemented across an entire company. However, they can also be some of the most powerful drivers of an innovation culture.

Having a culture that promotes risk-taking and flexibility is one of the most critical drivers of an innovation culture — but in large organisations it tends to be the variable that people struggle with the most. As a general rule, the larger the organisation, the less open it is to taking risks. There are several reasons why this happens, from red tape and bureaucracy (which of course tends to be rife within large organisations), through to the way accountabilities are set. Chapter 11 explores several ways that organisations can promote risk-taking without compromising their safety or security.

An organisation in which people feel a strong sense of togetherness is critical for creating a culture of innovation. Indeed, in their study ‘Climate for creativity: A quantitative review', Samuel Hunter and his colleagues Katrina Bedell and Michael Mumford revealed this variable to have the single biggest impact on creating a culture of innovation. Chapter 12 explains what it actually ...