So, you have found the best innovation management software available and you are ready to let the lion out of the cage. But how do you know whether this is an idea with potential? The only way to do that, is by ensuring people hear an idea, the providers explains it and elaborates on it, and people debate it. Without that, the idea is pointless. But is innovation just a buzzword in today’s world of business, or is it something that we really should implement?
Using the Best Innovation Management Software Available
Innovation definitely is more than a buzzword. Every time someone came up with something new, from sliced bread to Google, started with an idea and became a reality. And none of those ideas were immediately accepted and implemented. This makes sense because having an idea is easy, actually researching it, testing it, and putting into place is a lot more difficult. So much so, in fact, that a lot of people would rather not bother, preferring to stick to the status quo.
One of the most interesting things in today’s business world is that innovation seems to work best in small organizations. No formal strategies are in place, yet innovation seems to work. Large organizations, with steering groups, software, and action plans, seem to struggle a lot more. Experts agree that this is due to a number of key problems, including:
- That there are no real discussion meetings, giving people an opportunity to introduce an idea and answer questions. Never is there really an opportunity for everybody to get involved.
- That committees are made up by the most influential people in the organization, who are not necessarily the best ones for this process. In fact, their “know it all” attitude often stands in the way.
- That large organizations focus on game-changing ideas instead of all ideas, regardless of how big their impact could be.
It is difficult to overcome the above three issues, but it can be done. To achieve that, participation and involvement has to come from the top. And it is also about being realistic about our human limitations, which include:
- Fearing the unknown and therefore resisting change.
- The status quo.
- Memories of ideas gone wrong.
- A lack of confidence.
- An aversion to risk.
What is needed is true commitment, from the CEO to the doorman. But what is also needed is active promotion, also from the bottom to the top. Innovation isn’t about bottom-up or top-down, it is about being flat. A Matrix organization has to be developed where people feel like they can always think and speak freely.
Every idea, regardless of how whacky it may seem, has to be valued equally. The environment has to be open, in which people regularly have sessions with the executive teams who promote the culture of innovation. Managers shouldn’t wait for people to come forward, they should push them in that direction and they should get everything and everyone involved. It is about understanding that improvements are possible everywhere, from the cleaning products in the toilet to the software used by payroll.
