2. Finding Innovation
• Innovation is an integral part of any successful
business. Every business or industry regardless of
the product or service they provide is capable of
finding innovations.
• Some of the best practices in building an innovative
organizational culture include Dell Computer, which
innovated by first offering computers through
catalogues, building computers to customer orders;
and Amazon.com which transformed bookselling
through its online Internet virtual bookstores,
offering any title, along with information
customized to customer preference.
3. Where does innovation start?
• Innovation starts when leaders and employees begin
to define a new need and develop new ways to
improve products, or services in order to satisfy that
need.
• Consumer needs are always changing; therefore, it is
paramount that organizations innovate to meet
those needs.
• A few other companies that have bench marked the
best practices on the topic of organizational cultural
characteristics that support innovation and change
include Apple, IBM, and Toyota Mobile Corps,
Boston Consulting Group and Proctor & Gamble.
4. Best Practices!
• CRMToday identified eleven best practices for building
an innovative work culture:
• 1. Invest in employee growth
• 2. Make training Mandatory.
• 3. Acknowledge innovative contributions
• 4. Instill ownership and accountability.
• 5. Create a sense of belonging.
• 6. Build confidence through encouragement
• 7. Leverage the strengths of individuals
• 8. Support amnesty.
• 9. Improve the physical work environment.
• 10. Capture innovative ideas through multiple mediums.
• 11. Promote a culture of continuous improvement.
5. Apple’s Innovation
• Innovation is about more than creating great
products. Innovation is about redefining old
markets, defining new markets and meeting the
needs within those untapped markets.
• Apple took the consumer’s need to be mobile
and generated a product that other electronics
companies will duplicate for the next few years.
The company has a strong innovative culture,
which will follow its employees and engineers for
years to come.
6. Conclusion
• Regardless of the size of your company innovation is
necessary! An innovative company must adopt
forward thinking in all situations. Innovation does
not come from one person, but it must be embedded
in the culture of an organization and it will breed
innovative thinking.
• If a company is having trouble creating innovation
from within the organization then, it may have to
adopt the process of Proctor & Gamble by using
external companies or even bringing aboard new
leadership.
7. References
Bloomberg Business Week. (2006). The World Most Innovative Companies. Retrieved on 8
September 2011 from
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_17/b3981401.htm.
CRMToday. (n. d. ). Best Practices for Building an Innovative Work Culture. Retrieved on 8
September 2011 from
http://www.crm2day.com/content/t6_librarynews_1.php?id=EEEpklkkZFpbvcbYBw.
Hesselbein, F., Goldsmith, M., & Somerville, I. (2001). Leading for innovation: And organizing
for results. Jossey-Bass.
