My studies of truly innovative organizations have revealed five common elements (regardless of industry) that define cultures that excel at innovation. They are empowerment, honesty, community, goals, and leadership. Here’s a look at these elements individually.
Empowerment
When the late Steve Jobs said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do,” he was talking about empowerment. Apple is an historic leader in innovation because they hire the best and they coach their people to believe in their abilities and encourage them towards autonomous decision making and idea realization.
Sadly, while many organizations claim a similar desire and support for innovation, far too many leaders kill creative thinking by failing to empower their people. In one of my studies, only a third of employees say they…
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