There is a growing need for having some dynamic tensions within the organization’s innovation system; this helps generate better conditions for innovators to thrive.
We are continually learning more about all the different tools, techniques, and approaches available for innovation that will certainly help in putting the learning tensions into our work, making them more dynamic, linked, and increasingly relevant to the work-to-be-done.
We do need to embrace a more open, experimental approach to explore and then extend concepts, tools or frameworks that seem to work. I say “seem to work” as each situation often needs different paths to get the best out of any innovation work.
Yet before we jump into all the frameworks and tools that are available, let’s think about establishing the “common” environment innovation needs. Set this up, and you have the potential to create those dynamics out of your innovation activity. So here is a handy few to think about
1). A common language is essential
Any dynamics in the system need the ability for all to talk the same language, something that becomes common and embedded to support the routines and move quickly to the ideas, concepts, and solutions, as others can begin to ‘understand’ them and their connections as well. It is through working on the personal stories and appreciating the history, it is having an appreciation of events, good and bad, it is through local slogans, your jargon, and dialogues that bring people together. The power of storytelling helps gain adoption and identification of those needs for working on a common cause.
2). Creating constant opportunities for conversations
So many organizations don’t work on the ongoing discussions. They tend to dive straight into design workshops, build roadshows, and limit sessions that give everyone linkage and growing identification. You begin to identify your sense of purpose and value contribution if there is a consistent diffusion of messages, an on-going dialogue. By investing in lots of engagement, ones that should be initially lead from the top, then allowed to move up and down the organization, to allow for these ongoing conversations to build through growing confidence and trust.
3). Using the knowledge that resides
Organizations like to believe they are building domains of expertise, but often they are actually creating lots of individual silo’s to further restrict the flow of knowledge. Knowing where the right functional expertise lies, the relevant skills, experiences, or relevant insights ‘reside’ is increasingly important to throw open to all, to tap into, extract and contribute needs a well-designed knowledge sharing structure. This extracting expertise can help with not just our daily routines by offering different thoughts, ideas, and practices that may have a real impact on how you can change but as timely contributions into group activities.
4). Wrapping up intelligence to give it real value and knowledge understanding
The bundling of data is becoming critical. It needs to be increasingly shared across the organization at real-time speed. As we look increasingly outside our organizations, our focal markets, we need to gather a more exceptional ability for ‘sensing and seizing’ on the information. As we accumulate this and being able to connect it, to bundle it into knowledge that has potential application or relevance, allows for absorptive capacities to really come to life. By bringing into the organization the process of accessing, anchoring, and diffusing that external capacity for creating and exploiting new value.
5). Capturing and extracting tacit knowledge
Our ability to capture and access the tacit understanding that resides in all our employees is a critical issue to achieve new dynamic tension. How do we harness tacit knowledge, capture it, even recognize its value we need to encourage a continuous learning environment, we need to have clear organization learning strategies. Tacit knowledge helps us tackle the unknowns associated with discovery. The more we share, put effort into collaborative ventures, the more we learn. The more we engage with external experts, the more we should gain from these exchanges. Context becomes vital, as does striving for that common language and association.
6). Allowing time to explore and improve our human capital
Tacit knowledge as it becomes embedded in shared values, assumptions, and beliefs you can qualify and map tacit knowledge. Our tacit knowledge increases human capital. It can, through creative acts, give a strong feeling and provide a real sense of commitment. The more we explore, the more we ‘ignite our passions,’ We all need to consciously find the time to explore. It is by clearing the path to allow the absorbing to take place. As we set about to extract the knowledge, carefully, through putting any challenge into context, we are setting the basis for knowledge content to build by allowing time to access, anchor, and diffuse by validating back to our pre-determined setting.
The ability to harness our dynamics is vital
The ability to make our environments more dynamic means they become more engaging, more challenging. The dynamics offer far of a more a place to learn and contribute. It gives us greater potential for innovation and growth. As we build the dynamics of learning, there is a real growth potential for the organization and its people. The ability to set about making sure all the different intellectual capitals can combine. When you can connect those human capitals (knowledge, skills, and experiences), relationship ones (social and through our networks) or through the structural ones, (where you pool knowledge, use routines, and systems)you put into place a more abundant “stock” of innovation potential.
Proper use of our intellectual capitals and knowing what these are does allow for a greater unlocking of innovation value. The more we ‘work and encourage’ our learning capitals, combining the power that lies in the dynamic linkages we can forge, in the acquisition, in assimilation and then into eventual transformation then this allows known knowledge to become new wealth-generating innovation
By setting up your innovation environment before you jump into all those useful tools, techniques, and frameworks will give you such a good “heads start.”