While working with teams we often come accross teams that feel stuck on their innovation capacity and capability. Innovation is critical to find solutions to the complex challenges, but how can we learn faster than the ever changing environment and create space to find solutions that add value?
According to Hawkins (2021), there are nine key processes to boost innovation capacity and today I want to highlight two:
- Break the Short-Term Stranglehold:
Teams often get caught-up in urgent tasks and short-term goals, leading to missed opportunities for long-term success and a feeling of failure. To avoid this trap, start with a pause and reflect on how much time is spent on immediate problems versus future-focused solutions. Identify your current balance and agree what is needed going forward as individuals and as a team. - Build a Coalition:
Solving complex challenges requires collaboration beyond individual teams. Avoid working in silo’s by building coalitions across the organization. A simple but powerful exercise I have used with teams is the “Five Who” exercise (Hawkins 2021):
Start with a clear statement on the innovation challenge, then below a list of:
- Who Cares: Who is passionately invested in solving this challenge?
- Who Knows: Who has valuable knowledge or experience?
- Who Can: Who has the practical know-how and skills to get to one step better
- Who Will: Who has the authority to make decisions?
- Who Connects: Who can connect, elevate and expand this solution?
Before you dive into all the urgent tasks, take time with your teams on how to create space for innovation and balance addressing tomorrow’s challenges with today’s problems. Identify who it is that you can build a coalition with to create something bigger.
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