Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Creating a Culture of Innovation

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Creating a Culture of Innovation Not long ago in London, I was having coffee with a former c-suite executive at one of the world’s most prominent companies. I asked him about intrapreneurship, or the process by which a large organization’s resources are leveraged for entrepreneurial purposes. This executive told me that there is no such thing as intrapreneurship in 90 percent of the companies with which he’s worked. “It’s too dangerous,” he said. “Most organizations just want employees to keep their heads down and do their jobs. They have no interest in encouraging people to stir the pot.” I found this incredibly depressing. If we don’t want people to leave our businesses to start their own, then we must provide them with the means to develop processes, products and services that make a difference and move operations forward. And the best way to do that is to ingrain the values of innovation and experimentation within our cultures. If youre not currently fostering an innovation culture, but recognize the value in it, the following tips can help you get started: Step Away from the Gavel Does your staff rely on you for every major decision? Are you knee-deep in all the projects being completed at the moment? Are you the only one free to impact your company’s big picture? If any or all of these are true, you are probably stifling your people. Although it’s difficult to allow your employees to work autonomously and trust that they will try to do the right thing, not micromanaging them will infuse your culture with a variety of perspectives and approaches that will help you surpass your competitors. For more, please see the full post at the AMEX Open Forum.