In our previous discussions, we established that a strong, relevant mandate — as well as an indestructible infrastructure and proprietary process — are all required to sustain and create growth through a strategy innovation.
To uphold these pillars, a supportive culture — one dedicated to the thrust of your innovation goals — must be in place.
Culture 101
Culture is perhaps the determining factor that dictates the trajectory of an organization. In the past, we’ve discussed how culture devours strategy, and that is an essential element of your ability to unlock competitive advantage.
A supportive culture also limits corporate gravity, contains the immune system, and fights corporate myopia — the very forces that seek to thwart innovation.
Defining Your Culture
To accomplish your innovation goals — as well as a myriad of other business-critical objectives — you must be very decisive as to the kind of culture you want to create, especially in terms of:
- Appetite for Risk — Are your employees encouraged to take risks? Are there any shifts or cracks in the culture that makes the organization risk-averse?
- Behavior — What actions will support the mandate and process you’ve designed? Are your employees encouraged to think outside the box, or allocated a portion of their time to discovering innovative solutions in their departments?
- Value — How will you go about enrolling your organization — at all levels — on your innovation journey?
Open (Cultural) Enrollment
At Insigniam, we’ve found that the best way to spark a culture shift and get your organization fully enrolled in the goals of your innovation project is to engage them in real work.
When the employees in your organization take on innovation projects that can only be accomplished inside of a new cultural framework and mindset, a culture shift occurs. People experience it through their work and what they do. They become empowered, working transversely toward something that you want to incur.
Unless you shift the culture to a place where your employees are fully enrolled, you will not achieve your intended results. Culture is the bedrock to create and sustain growth — from today’s needs to tomorrow’s innovation goals. Choosing to deliberately define and implement your mandate, infrastructure, process, and culture creates the conditions for a future-based organization that will deliver unprecedented growth.
