In today's world, innovation isn't just a nice to have for Not-For-Profits; it's critical work that ensures success and longevity.
In this article I dive into the world of innovation processes, unpacking what drives success and what to steer clear of. Through our experiences at Impacto, we've gained valuable insights into why every organisation needs a structured innovation process to empower their workforce in generating your next innovative and groundbreaking ideas.
We’ve found the most innovative organisations are the ones that empower their staff to make change no matter their role. The leaders of these organisations provide easy ways for staff to share what they're noticing and thinking they could improve. When people feel like they have a say, it improves staff retention, and gets you better outcomes for your clients and the organisation.
Here are the critical elements of a successful innovation process, let's go!
Having a Clear Process
Too often senior leaders of organisations tell us they've got a detailed innovation process already, but we often find it's not always clear to all staff. A good process gives everyone a way to suggest insights and ideas in a way that's straightforward and easy to use, no matter the role. It also needs to lead to actual changes being made, not just discussions.
Representing Everyone
When looking at new ideas, hearing from different teams is important. This helps ensure any suggestions don't just shift issues between areas or client groups. Understanding impacts means including all voices in decisions.
Focus on Insights
Leaders should encourage their people to share the insights they have, beyond just proposed solutions. Exploring what problems solutions are addressing helps you to avoid flashy fixes and sometimes simpler changes do the job better. Getting client input here is also valuable.
Making it Accessible
Frontline roles are often busy helping others and they aren’t sitting in front of a computer like more senior roles may. Your innovation process needs to work for all roles, and provide options to submit insights and ideas in an easy way that works for everyone. As long as key details are included, flexibility in the method of how to submit insights and ideas helps participation.
Providing Feedback
Letting staff know what happens with anything they submit to the innovation process is important, even if changes are delayed, this keeps the engagement up with using the process. Your people will stay engaged when communication is open, do this by regularly communicating what you are working on and also importantly what is in the pipeline and is yet to come.
By implementing these proven frameworks, organisations can create a culture of innovation that empowers their workforce to generate groundbreaking ideas and drive meaningful change. If you're considering setting up an innovation process in your organisation, we hope these insights provide you with valuable guidance.
What tips in this article have resonated with you? Is there anything you will do different in your organisation? Chuck it in the comments below.
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