A recent article over on Chief Executive outlined The “Six C’s” Model for Building A Culture of Innovation from AchieveGlobal. The model was created by examining the practices and behaviors of the Boston Consulting Group’s top 100 innovative firms around the world and is worth a review.
- Collaboration
Innovation now requires the collaboration of large, diverse groups of people. Not only has the size of research teams grown by 20% per decade over the last 50 years, but a paper is six times more likely to get at least 1,000 citations if it comes from a team, which should be made up of a socioeconomic mix of people at all levels up and down your supply chain, from different departments, functions, divisions, brands and plants. - Customer Centric
A culture of innovation requires a deep commitment to understanding customers’ expectations and providing them with value. In addition, it looks for user innovation and situations where users use products for unintended purposes or refine the products for particular needs. - Context Rich
Leaders in innovation put lots of effort into the development of formal and informal systems to collect and share information throughout the workforce. - Curious
Innovative leaders encourage their employees to question authority, to question their assumptions, to ask why, why not and what if? Innovation leaders give their employees time to research, explore, and even wander down blind alleys. - Confidence Focussed
Businesses that excel at innovation actively increase their employees’ capabilities and self-esteem. Innovation requires the confidence to explore, experiment, push-through the darkness, and succeed. - Challenge Culture
Innovative companies focus on meeting challenges and aiming for new heights. They are never content with good enough or solving today’s problems. They strive for excellence and solutions to tomorrow’s problems.