The 9 Barriers of Innovation At Workplace
Innovation can be complicated and can sometimes feel like a hassle for heads of innovation at workplace large companies, but that can’t stop you from moving forward in the midst of constant digital destruction. Creativity is an important leadership quality which is necessary for prosperity.
As several barriers of innovation at workplace are coming up and the world is becoming more complex, creative leaders invite advancing innovation, encourage others to drop ancient approaches and take balanced risks. But it’s sad that many organizations fail to release their most valuable resources: employee creativity and imagination. They are devoid of a systematic approach to building a culture of innovation, and then wonder why they fail to succeed.
Key Barriers of Innovation
Here are some barriers of innovation, which should be removed to enable your employees to take your organization forward.
Closed-Mindedness
Employees are thoroughly involved working with the minute details of your company, so listen to them if they come up with a significant innovation as it could save much time and money.
Traditions
Past results should never be used to foretell future success. Stay with your traditions if you want, but associate them with visions that will prepare you for an ever-changing future.
Jealousy
The world of business is full of politics and jealousy. Good leaders and employees support the people around them. Accept an innovative idea brought by an employee. The best leaders try to employ people who are better than them, so it makes sense that your employees will come up with some good ideas that you haven’t thought of yet.
Budget Issues
Innovation is expensive and can eat up a lot of cash flow and present a level of risk but that is no reason you shouldn’t look into and evaluate the risk and reward of each initiative. If there’s enough evidence that a risk is worth taking, then go ahead and spend on it.
Generation Gap
There is a big generation gap with the younger crowd complaining that older leaders would never listen to their new ideas. Such barriers of innovation are hard to overcome, but they should be removed. Older people can be just as innovative and maybe more innovative than a young person. There is no excuse for any age to not listen to and assess a creative idea.
Communication
Communication is important when presenting an innovative idea. Encourage employees to present ideas in a brief way that makes it easier for others to understand. Poor communication can lead to the failure of a great innovation.
Size
It’s obvious to think your organization can’t change course because of its size. If you do not motivate your employees to innovate, smaller companies in your industry will win in the long run and you may fail.
Thought Leadership
Thought leadership is becoming a necessity for proper leadership. Some leaders hold back because they don’t want to seem arrogant or they’re just being lazy. One of the biggest factors to becoming a great thought leader is contributing to credible sources of information about your industry otherwise your employees won’t be as inspired to copy your sense of innovation at workplace or create their own.
Resources
Not having the resources is a common excuse people give when they’re presented with an innovative idea. You can find the resources by bringing on new employees or redirecting resources if the right idea comes along. If you remove this barrier of innovation, you will more carefully contemplate what’s possible.
Creating an Innovative Culture
It’s not necessary to consider every idea that comes from your employees. However, you should create an environment where employees are always encouraged to come up with innovative ideas. Always keep an open mind and assess ideas and try to remove these barriers of innovation.
