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Promoting a culture of innovation

Any company looking at long-term growth will need to make several significant changes over its life cycle. Taking into account the workings of the world, in which the business environment is increasingly changing, constant innovation must be part of the culture in any business.

However, changes are not always easy to introduce. Most research on organizational change processes shows that a small percentage of attempts, about 26%, are successful. [Http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/how-to-beat-the-transformation-odds]

What companies have in common in this 26%, is that they have carried out a series of actions that allow to create a corporate culture that favors transformations. The more open this culture is, the better for its employees. Nowadays, businesses must promote innovation around technology and sector trends, keeping the company in constant evolution.

"Retailers who are successful today are not only fostering a culture of innovation, but they are also institutionalizing it in the business so that the attitude extends to the entire company," says Jill Dyche, Vice President of Best Practices at SAS in a note on innovation in the field of retail companies. [Source: http://www.retailleader.com/article-disruptive_innovation_2.0-7511.html]

In order to bring about the change and to do it effectively, it is necessary to develop an adequate plan, a strategy that allows the whole organization to be part of the process that will lead to the success of the transformation.

In this article we want to provide some advice on how to develop a positive attitude from the company's employees, able to adapt positively to changes with the introduction of technological tools, and thus, ultimately create a culture of innovation.

How to consolidate a culture of innovation within the organization to introduce new tools?

  • Long-term planning: Achieving a successful experience in introducing change requires a series of activities and processes that take time. The results will not come overnight. Success is achieved when these actions are carried out together in a sustained way for a long period of time, so that the organization has time to assimilate and internalize them. Planning for the long run will give you the time to consolidate these changes without falling into frustration.

  • Provide training: Employees should be familiarized with the new tool and its processes in order to clearly understand how it works. They should be able to ask questions freely about anything they do not understand, as well as gain the confidence to use them correctly and take full advantage of the benefits these tools provide.
  • Insights and Inspiration: Persuade and convince the entire organization about the need for these new tools through statistics, figures, testimonials and market research. The use of accurate information will demonstrate to members how this new development will bring good results to the organization and its daily work.
  • Measure partial results and share them with employees and managers: Define clear short- and long-term objectives to demonstrate the progress that has been made.
  • Involve the whole company: One of the great challenges that come from this big step is getting each area and employee involved actively in the use of these new technologies. The most successful change strategies are carried out by each of the collaborators, each one playing a role towards creating change. This will allow them to feel involved and committed to the use of new tools.
  • Steady Leadership: The leadership team must be committed and guide change throughout the process. The interest of the other collaborators must be reinforced by the managers, who lead by example in order to show confidence in the change.

Quick Audits can help you carry out this process of constant innovation with realistic and achievable metrics. Contact us!

Posted in Quick Audits Blog on Jun 15, 2017

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