Innovation

Innovation:
                   A new idea, device or method. However, innovation is often also viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more-effective products, processes, services, technologies, or business models that are readily available to markets, governments and society. The term "innovation" can be defined as something original and more effective and, as a consequence, new, that "breaks into" the market or society. It is related to, but not the same as, invention, as innovation is more apt to involve the practical implementation of an invention (i.e. new/improved ability) to make a meaningful impact in the market or society, and not all innovations require an invention. Innovation is often manifested via the engineering process, when the problem being solved is of a technical or scientific nature.

10 Ways You Can Innovate at Work Every Single Day

1. Start Conducting Stand-Up Meetings

Your entire energy changes when you’re standing. Unsurprisingly, the entire energy of a meeting does, too. Convert one of your meetings to a standing one and watch the momentum, enthusiasm, and action soar. They’ll move faster and be more action-orientated and more likely to motivate your team. 

2. Surround Yourself With Inspiration

Whenever you see something from the big wide world that captures your attention, put it on display. It can be any discovery: an awesome ad in a magazine, an unusually arranged menu, or even a well-written email that made you laugh. The more provocative, the better! If you have space on a wall near you, eke out a spot where you can display everything. Or, if you work an open office where wall space is at a minimum, do it virtually on Pinterest.

3. Get a Buddy

Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. Pick a colleague you feel comfortable with with and make yourselves accountable to each other. Encourage him or her to keep trying new things, whether it’s trying a new place for lunch, pitching an idea in an unorthodox manner, sharing articles that inspire, or just doing some old-fashioned brainstorming. It’s better—and easier—together.

4. Pick Small Projects

We often think that ideas must always be big, transformative, and game-changing. But often, it’s lots of small, novel things that add up to make a huge difference. The benefits to small-scale innovation are huge. Not only do they happen quickly and (most often) without a lot of fuss, they also garner the interest and attention of both your team and organization; thus paving the way for bigger, meatier innovation projects to follow. Try changing lots of small things, like how you sign off your emails, how you reward yourself for good work, or how you kick off meetings.

5. Flip Your Assumptions

We all have things we do with our eyes shut. It’s part of what makes us excel at our jobs, but also part of what blinds us to opportunities. Over the course of the day, identify all the tasks you do without thinking. Take a moment to talk about how you could do them differently. Sometimes it won’t work (spell check might always be the best way to proofread your work). However, it will often lead you to find a new way of doing the same old thing.

6. Bring it to Life

Stop talking and start building! Put your thoughts into words, your words into pictures, and your pictures into prototypes. When people can see your idea, they’re less likely to forget it and much more likely to take it seriously and become involved in its development and bullet-proofing. Even a bad drawing is better than no drawing.

7. Ban Things

Though it may sound counterintuitive, having constraints and parameters actually inspire innovation by forcing you to think dynamically and creatively. As an exercise, start banning things and exploring the implications. Ban words, ban resources, ban your primary target market, ban your default communication tools, and watch your creativity take off. Often, the ideas you settle on will likely be watered down versions of your initial suggestions, but the point of this exercise is to spark new thoughts on how to do the same old things.

8. Get Out of the Office

Make a habit of stepping outside even if it’s just to walk around the block. As you stroll, make a point to notice things. If you need some discipline on your inspiration hunt, make a game of it and deliberately hunt for things that begin with the letter A on the first day, B the second, and so on. Your mind will start connecting dots between what you see and the problems you left back at the office. That’s the beauty of our subconscious.

9. Fuel Up on Creativity

For too many of us, checking our phone is the first thing we do each day. Feed your mind with creativity instead of diving into the email deluge (that can wait). Pick your favorite song, podcast, or blog to kick-start the morning. Whatever it is, make sure it fuels your imagination. You’ll be amazed how much it will inspire your attitude and creativity throughout the day.

10. Ask Yourself “What Would My Hero Do?”

When you’re stumped with a problem you can’t make any headway on, call in the big guns. Keep a list near your desk of some of your favorite creative forces. Then, when a problem strikes, consult your list and ask yourself what they might do to solve it. Considering how Willy Wonka would solve a packaging challenge, how Coco Chanel would tackle a communications issue, and how Salvador Dali would take on streamlining a supply chain can be very enlightening.

Six Effective Ways to Foster Innovation:

Employee creativity and innovation are essential for the success of any business, particularly in times of economic turmoil. There is a clear connection between employee engagement and innovation according to a 2006 Gallup poll. Engaged employees are more creative and more willing to accept innovative ideas from others. Most CEO's value creativity, and employees who are allowed to be creative are more engaged with their current positions. A company's culture can either foster or stifle innovation. Fortunately, business leaders are able to shape a more creative work environment if they follow a few basic guidelines.

Maintain an open dialogue between employees and upper management

Dialogue will effectively motivate and engage employees. Always allow employees to present their ideas before important decisions are made. Provide feedback to employees, even when their ideas are not used, so that they know that they are not being dismissed.

Encourage communication between departments: Collaboration between members of different departments often results in creative solutions for problems. Interdepartmental communication facilitates trust and prevents conflict. Departments that do not communicate are more likely to blame each other when problems arise.

Organize brainstorming sessions

IBM has found the innovation jam to be quite successful. Since 2001, jams have allowed hundreds of thousands of IBM employees around the world to connect and come up with innovative solutions for company problems. You do not need to run a global enterprise to benefit from companywide collaboration. Give your employees regular opportunities to bounce ideas off each other.

Engage employees by encouraging them to share creative ideas

Do notlimit creativity to special occasions. Employees should be encouraged to continually share their ideas with supervisors and each other. Find the most effective method of communication for your organization. You may want to create a type of suggestion box or schedule time at the end of meetings for people to share their ideas.

Do not force people to be innovative

Creativity can be encouraged but not compelled. Forcing people to present creative ideas at certain times will not bring true innovation. Rather, create a number of different incentives to draw out creativity. Innovative ideas could be rewarded financially, with opportunities for advancement or any other incentive you have found effective for your employee base

Remain flexible and forgiving

Inflexible environments discourage innovation. Innovation often involves taking risks. Encourage employees to think outside the box and implement ideas without interference. Additionally, do not punish employees if ideas are unsuccessful. Employees who are punished for taking risks serve as a warning to others against being creative or innovative.

Keep track of company innovations

Many leaders in upper management lose interest in supporting creativity and innovation because they do not bother to keep track of past innovations. Knowing how many employee innovations have been implemented and how successful they are, presents a clear picture of the financial benefits of employee creativity. Keeping track of innovations will also indicate whether any alterations need to be made to recently implemented programs or the company culture.