Fostering a culture of innovation
Fostering a culture of innovation
5 minutes
When innovation is strong, teams become more mobile as they find new ways to do things. Managers are able to facilitate a culture of feedback and organisations find continuous success in their vision.
The benefits of innovation are clear. Yet the fear, uncertainty and limited control involved make most people hesitate and even feel discouraged. Innovation often comes with uncertain outcomes, long periods of trial and error, risks and criticism. These, without the right support, can be overwhelming.
Since fostering innovation is fundamentally a cultural shift, leaders and organisational heads must approach it with clear intention and a structured strategy.
Those who successfully lead innovation don’t leave it to chance. Instead, they actively focus on key elements that shape an innovation-friendly culture. Here are the core dimensions they prioritise:
Genuine innovation takes hold when it’s embedded and embraced at every level of the organisation — from front-line staff to senior executives. When everyone understands its value and actively supports it, innovation becomes part of the culture.
By reframing failure - not as a dead end or wasted effort but as a step in discovering what doesn’t work - you help create a mindset that supports learning, resilience and continuous improvement.
Here are some actions you can do to symbolise its importance:
• Physical: These can include giving recognitions and rewards to organisation innovators.
• Verbal: Announcements, newsletters or even simple conversation are opportunities for leaders to positively reinforce and motivate others to innovate.
• Action-oriented: The presence of valued persons in the organisation and their visible involvement is critical. Knowing they have their support even in the face of setbacks can also ease the fear and uncertainty in the innovation process.
Instead, turn it into a norm by establishing innovation rituals. These can include team huddles and brainstorming sessions on current problems or emerging trends. By encouraging others to speak and build on each other's ideas, new perspectives are born.
This highlights that fear stifles innovation. By creating a safe, supportive space through reframing and encouragement, leaders can help their teams embrace change, take smart risks and confidently explore new ideas.
When facilitated mindfully, innovation has the potential to thrive and become part of your organisation’s culture. Here’s how you can properly cement innovation into your teams, or see how the structure of Disney’s Creative Strategy can help your teams build on each other’s ideas with creativity and free expression.
