LISTENING TO INNOVATION

What are the traits of an organization’s or team’s culture that most influence the ability of its people to innovate? What separates leaders of innovation from their competition? All too often, we look to the physical environment for the answers, relying on providing unique workspaces, furnishings, engaging colors, fun play areas, and unique applications of technology. Yet among the factors of culture that contribute to, or inhibit innovation and creativity, none is more telling as communication. And of the behaviors that effect that communication, none is as powerful as listening.

Starting with the basic premise that business is the most advanced form of art we engage in as human beings, success depends on the creativity and innovation of the artists. This requires an environment in which they can freely be imaginative, inventive, and without the fear associated with the risk of being genuine and authentic.

This is an important aspect of organizational and team culture too often overlooked and far too frequently given lip service to. Think how often leaders encourage their employees, staffers, and team members to “think outside the box” and “take risk”, or express themselves openly only to ignore them when they do act expressively and creatively, or with unbridled imagination. One of the true keys to the successful innovation of any organization or team is the ability of its members to express their creative thoughts openly and without fear. This puts the act of listening square at the center of innovation itself. An unheard idea is an unheard opportunity.

There are a number of reasons listening is such a powerful force behind innovation. At the core, it begins with how artists relate to and are motivated by being listened to. In the end, all artists want to be heard, regardless of the form it takes. Much like painters want to talk through their brush and canvas, engineers display their creativity through fantastic displays of technology and design. At the core of this motivation is our desire to be paid attention to and the belief that we have something of value to offer. Beginning with early childhood, we live under the assumption that we will be paid attention to. Throughout our lives, we measure our self worth to how well we are heard.

Having our ideas heard and paid attention to are also powerful ways through which we allow ourselves to feel competent and contributing. Sure, at the end of the day, not every idea or suggestion is a good one. Yet, how will one know unless it is heard? Most often, an idea is a seed from which better ideas germinate and offers the opportunity for exploration and the resulting innovation. A new idea is the first flicker of light that may also present a challenge that stimulates additional thinking and discovery. Not to mention the times when a group of people find themselves in search of the next idea or struggling to move forward.

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work with a good number of innovative, high performing teams. They not only benefitted from struggling now and then. They all conveyed a sense of shared understanding that creativity is the building of one idea on another and was often the direct result of their shared struggle, until one person taking a risk sparked a desperately needed spark of invention. Not every idea is the winner. Creativity and innovation are continuous works in progress and can only come about as team members and their leaders truly listen to and hear one another. And often struggle together.

Innovation is the product of our desire to fulfill a higher need, pursue a calling, or simply to compete and win against our competition. It’s important to recognize the importance listening has in motivating one another to feel involved, to have a sense of competency and contribution, and to engage one another in the unbridled ability to take risk and unleash our individual and collective inhibited imaginations.

All the great leaders of innovative cultures that I have had the pleasure to work with over the past twenty-plus years all share a common trait. It is the ability to listen and invite others to continuously explore and discover new ways to think. They are all much more about inquiry and asking questions than telling and critiquing. They challenge not through demand, rather through constructive questioning and respectfully paying attention to what others have to say and the ideas they have to offer. They all demonstrate an ability to listen and encourage others to share their ideas. They also know it’s far better to be a listener that motivates innovation than being a poor listener that is forced to deal with team members that are angry at being ignored or unheard, and that play out their resentment and anger by channeling their creativity into waging destructive conflict, or choosing to not engage at all.

CREATING AN INNOVATION CULTURE

Among business leaders and students of organizations, there is a great deal of attention being paid to the idea of creating and leading cultures of innovation. In exploring this idea, we soon realize that the concepts surrounding what an innovation culture is, and how to create and lead a culture of innovation, are, in fact, not new. Throughout our history, innovation has always been a key driver of business and market competition, and therefore, of our organizations and teams. It is natural to us, as human beings, to strive to find new ways to do things and creatively engage in designing products and services that respond to markets and customers.  It’s also not new to us to engage in continuously advancing processes, methods, and activities, the result of which is to be more innovative and deliver new and more accomplished products and services that increase the level of competition. 

If the idea of innovation cultures is not new to us, what is it that makes creating and sustaining them so perplexing? One reason is that, when it comes to innovation, we typically first focus on the process of design. Even if we’re successful, having great processes and methods for innovation are only a part of the formula for success. What really keeps us challenged is the human aspect and how people come together to use the processes and systems that we intend to drive innovation. Processes and systems are, in the end, are always dependent on how well people apply them. At the forefront of the challenges leaders face in successfully creating and leading a culture of innovation are two key ingredients: people and the environment that fosters innovation.

For innovation to truly come to life requires an environment where people can come together that promotes, encourages and supports risk-taking, creativity, and imagination. This is not easy. For these to exist, leaders must take on the challenge of leveraging the human desire and motivation that result in the ingenuity they seek. In my experience, this requires the leveraging of four key elements that influence how people create and work in an environment of innovation: alignment, expertise, participation and choice. While there are other factors that may contribute to success, these four elements are aspects of human motivation that are key to the successful creation and sustainability of an innovation culture.

Alignment.    A simple and powerful force of any high performing culture is demonstrated through the reliability of its members to trust their understanding and alignment of the “what,” “why” and “how” things get done.

·       The “what” is the shared understanding of the goal and outcome of the group, team, or organization.

·       The “why” is the emotional driver that is found in the benefit of that outcome and provides purpose. This holds true regardless of whether it is a social benefit or merely the desire to beat the competition.

·       The “how” begins with the steps and the processes that people engage in and quickly finds its way into the norms of behavior that define its culture. Among these norms are planning, decision-making, role definition, communication, how conflict is managed, and the role of recognition and reward.

Alignment provides predictability. This powerful aspect of culture is often overlooked. Alignment provides consistency in how people, at an individual and group level, interpret how success is obtained. The more predictable the environment and its corresponding rules of behavior (which we also refer to as its norms), the more confident its members are. This is the confidence that comes from being free of the fear associated with the consequences of behaving and being outside the norms. Such confidence results in less wasted energy spent on worry and conflict, and an increased commitment to the shared outcome of the group. In other words, the greater the level of safety and confidence, the higher the level of performance.

Expertise.    Every creative endeavor has a baseline requirement of expertise and competency, a set of skills and knowledge that must be in place to attain success. Cultures that innovate typically accomplish this through two means. The first is to find and add individuals with specific knowledge and competencies. The second is to develop and train current members and provide them with higher levels of expertise and capability. Regardless of the approach, the intention of increasing expertise is to leverage an ever-increasing value of know-how and skills resulting in new insights and thinking, and that challenges people in the culture to continuously improve and become better—to raise their game. 

There is another aspect of expertise that is vital to recognize. When a team or organization raises its level of expertise, it typically results in higher levels of competition among its members. It is natural for us, as human beings, to compete with one another. In high-functioning groups, such competition results in the collaboration through which individuals challenge and push one another. This highlights the need to also develop interpersonal and team skills—competencies easily overlooked—that support the cooperative competition that results in innovation.

Participation.   It is said, and it has been well documented throughout history, that human beings are social animals. At some level, we all desire to participate, to feel included and be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We are motivated by the desire to be connected, to have a sense of membership and the sense of self-value that we get when others ask us for our thoughts and ideas. Of great importance is that such participation can only fully manifest itself when people feel listened to. It’s one thing to ask someone for input. It’s another to listen to it. Even if the contribution isn’t used, it is vital for the continuation of participation that they are heard and responded to. Often when people don’t feel a part of, and not listened to, they withdraw and their contributions are never made. Not only does this potentially limit or undermine innovation, the resulting conflict can often manifest in the sabotage of collaboration and teamwork.

Participation is also fundamental to how we challenge ourselves, and one another. My simple definition of innovation is the building of one idea on another. Without multiple sources of idea generation that result from participation, innovation is limited. Great recipes for success rarely have but one ingredient. People feel wanted, connected and important when they are invited to participate. This is a key to any great culture of innovation.

Choice.   The word choice, in of itself, represents empowerment. It brings to mind of the power of autonomy, inventiveness, personal responsibility, and freedom. In an innovative culture, these ideas manifest in the ability of its members to express openly what they think, see and feel. Both powerful and simple, choice allows the members of organizations and teams to express their truth and to be authentic. Without such openness, innovation is never fully expressed or established.

There’s another aspect of choice and authenticity that is easy to inhibit. It is imagination. It’s hard to separate imagination and innovation, let alone to detach them from creativity.

When personal choice and the authenticity of individual expression are present in a culture, its members are more readily inspired and are more inventive. For an innovative culture to exist and succeed requires its people to be motivated to express not only their proven concepts and designs. It requires the freedom to, without fear of humiliation or rejection, to share their wildest and most radical ideas. It is only through the authenticity and openness that results from choice, that innovation is truly legitimized.

January 29, 2013 Updated 2/5/13

Business is a living art form. It requires the approach to be worked with rather than worked on. The creation of growth and prosperity requires the coming together of human influence and effort with the systems, processes and mechanics of business and enterprise. Therein lies the art. Thinking of business as a science leads us to compartmentalizing rather than integrating thoughts and ideas, and can easily get in the way of realizing the human capacity for innovation and creativity. Both can, at times, be very difficult. Perhaps that’s why we don’t always see the path to integrating the two.

I once heard it said, “Be a giver and you will get. Be a taker and you will be taken.” Listening is a gift. It is generous to listen well to others. I sometimes observe that someone giving too much advice may not interpret it as taking. They may believe that the giving of advice is an act of generosity. I think, at times, this is true. Yet sometimes I find myself thinking that the giver of advice may be taking away another person’s freedom to express what they think, see or feel, shut down their creativity or uniqueness, hinder their opportunity to explore, to make a mistake and learn. And I’m sure there’s more that is taken. Of all the possibilities, the one that I’m most concerned about is the taking of someone’s time. Time is precious. Perhaps it may help if you first ask if someone wants what you have to give and listen to his or her response. It’s likely they’ll reciprocate and listen in return.

Authenticity is the alignment of my behavior to my thoughts, feelings and beliefs.

As I complete writing a part of my book, I push back my chair and look out into the sunset. It’s a magnificent sight, the hues of pink, orange, and violet blending into the bright blues left by the sun as it disappears behind the Front Range of the Rockies. My sense of accomplishment is satisfying. Another piece finished and, for now – until an editor tells me I need to give it another try – the feeling of letting it go. I now realize the distinct contrast between writing a book and writing a poem or lyric for a new song. The poem or song is finished, sometimes in minutes. This book, it seems, has taken years to come to surface and is not finished until the thoughts I share are clearly communicated and easily comprehended. A poem or song is open to interpretation. Its imperfections are the perfections of its own art form. And it doesn’t typically take me as long to get the gratification from finding the end and staring out at the sunset... to make room for the next one to arrive.