Innovation Culture: Disarming Resistance, Embracing Change

Imagine cycling naked in the streets. Most of us would find this unthinkable, right? It would be deemed personally, socially and culturally unacceptable. Yet each year, thousands of people cycle through the streets of London, during World Naked Bike Ride, wearing little to no clothing, literally putting themselves out there to raise awareness for a worthwhile cause. One person acting alone would be considered offensive but when people do something en masse, perceptions shift, and the unusual can become acceptable, even embraced!

The same principles apply in the workplace, where conventions around conforming and acceptable behaviour can stifle innovation. As human beings, we are, by our very nature, uncomfortable with change. Do any of the following sentiments ring true? “that’s not how things are done around here”, “we’ve always done it like that”, “don’t quit the day job”, “it will never work”, “we already tried that”, “everything’s fine as it is”, “ that’s someone else’s job”, “I’m too busy”, “yes but..”

How do we set about changing norms and creating a nurturing environment for innovation?

Leading for Change – Culture not Just Strategy

So, what should leaders do to embed a culture for innovation and change? It needs to be more than creating an “innovation space,” a special projects team or a set time each week/month for new ideas. Leaders must get granular about the tone they set and how new ways of thinking are appreciated.

Here is what you can do:

• Reward behaviour that leads to new ideas: When a colleague comes to you with an idea for a new business stream or marketing strategy, listen carefully and empathise with their context and motives. Give recognition to the behaviour even if the ideas need some work. Respond with “I like your way of thinking, let’s explore this further”.
• Create an environment where people feel safe, from being judged or ridiculed, in thinking differently and challenging the status-quo. Postpone judgement – “Let’s keep the ideas coming for the moment”. Use words and sentiments that stimulate more new thinking – “what if?”, “how can we?”, ”yes and…” If colleagues struggle, rolemodel with your own unusual ideas – make radical and unlikely connections to encourage others to push their thinking.
• Refrain from habitual cynicism or pessimism: This is a regrettably common if subconscious, lazy strategy to curb innovative thinking.
• Embrace failure and make it acceptable for people to fail: Failure does not mean defeat; it means try again in a different way, and “trial & error” is a legitimate learning tool for solving problems!
• Encourage people to lift the constraints on their thinking: By challenging them with outrageous problems and unlikely scenarios during the idea-generation phases of projects, to generate radical ideas.
• Make ideation fun: Play is a serious learning tool that lowers inhibitions and feelings of vulnerability, while allowing us to experiment and develop novel ideas.
• Normalise Change: where possible work to make change and the habits around change acceptable and part of the normal day-to-day culture of your business.
• Foster intent-focused leadership: Stop telling people what to do, start telling them what we want to achieve and let them work out how best to do that. This will build a team able to think for themselves and deliver effective solutions.
• Encourage and support employees to communicate their ideas: foster a culture that encourages staff to turn frustrations into opportunities, and encourage them to involve other members of staff in developing solutions to those minor irritations.
• Consider colleagues’ motivations and reasons for coming to work: Are they driven by the value and purpose of their work? Do they find joy in experimentation and continuous improvement? Identify where they experience personal challenges and growth.

In conclusion, fostering a culture of innovation and change requires intentional actions and attitudes from leaders. Reward new ideas, encourage radical thinking, embrace failure as a learning tool and make change a normal part of the workplace. By doing so, you can create an environment where creativity thrives, and the organisation continually improves and grows.

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Chris Strong is the founder and principal of Strong Leadership. An education & training leader with 15+ years experience in, empowering individuals & organisations to thrive. He designs impactful programmes, fostering creativity & innovation for a changing world. His passion lies in unlocking human potential and supporting others to grow.