5 Ways Your Business Could Be Stifling Innovation

5 Ways Your Business Could Be Stifling Innovation

In a world driven by technology, it’s no secret innovation is key for the success of any business. Entrepreneurship calls for innovation, but many factors can prevent innovation from penetrating throughout a company. Find out how to boost creativity across departments and foster a work culture that thrives on change and new ideas.

Avoiding standards
In order to foster innovation, employees must be committed to producing their best work. Innovation and excellence go hand-in-hand, so managers must set clear standards for employees, offer support as staffers complete projects, and provide outlets for their expertise to shine. When excellence is a shared goal among employees and managers, a business can only flourish.

Being afraid of embracing change
Old thinking and fear of change don’t yield creative ideas. Change is crucial for innovation. Whether this means testing out new software, introducing a new department, or tweaking a business practice that’s many years old, a level of disruption must occur to spark creativity. This is no easy feat, but it’s possible with determination.

Holding on to fear
Part of welcoming change involves leaving fear behind. While a certain level of fear is normal when working to advance a business, it should never prevent you from acting on an innovative idea. Innovation develops when employees are confident in their expertise and believe in a company’s future.

Undervaluing team-building
New ideas arise when employees across departments have to solve a business challenge. Hosting regular gatherings where staffers have the opportunity to network and learn more about an area outside of their department gives them confidence to innovate.

Never acting
There’s no use in sitting on a ton of smart business ideas—action is imperative. Once employees have pinpointed a possible solution to improve a business challenge, commit to execution. Testing fresh ideas can only lead to an increased level of creativity throughout the business, as other employees are inspired to come forward and express their views.

Fostering innovation can be a challenge, but it can be achieved once a business is committed to experimenting, pushing boundaries and embracing a shift in thinking.

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