2016-02-25 11:03:41
David SturtJordan Rogers
February 24, 2016
Ask a roomful of CEOs if they want a workforce that innovates, and you d be
shocked not to see all hands in the air.
But how many CEOs really mean what they say? Do they truly believe that
innovative work can be left to the non-management ranks and do they give
individual contributors the time and resources they need to do so?
We surveyed nearly 3,500 people from companies in the U.S., Canada, the UK,
Germany, and India. What we found is that although a majority of employees say
innovation is everybody s responsibility, not everyone actually gets the
resources needed to innovate.
There s an especially large disconnect on this subject between leaders and
lower-level employees. While nearly nine in ten non-managers strongly believe
they ought to be involved in innovation, far fewer (roughly six in ten) say
they actually are. We saw this at small as well as large companies and among
all age groups (Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials).
The problem? Most employees believe that management does not inspire them to do
great work or give them the opportunity to do so. Fewer than half of those in
the lower ranks who have the chance to think through an idea believe they have
access to the necessary means to execute it: money, staff, and support.
W160210_STURT_INDIVIDUAL-CONTRIBUTORS
While executive and management ranks clearly have the right tools at their
disposal encouragement, time, and resources to do great work, individual
employees seldom feel they do. My supervisors do not seem receptive to new
ideas and implementation, one employee told us. Added another: No matter what
you do, [my boss] says it s got to be her way.
These are disturbing conclusions. If executive endorsement of innovation comes
off as largely empty talk, employees are likely to become disillusioned,
perhaps cynical. Even those who are self-motivated may stop caring, unless they
have the backing material and moral support from their leaders.
Without it, a dispiriting work environment can become a dysfunctional company:
poisonous to productivity, to say nothing of radical breakthroughs.
How to halt the downward spiral? Leaders need to embrace innovative work as
everyone s responsibility and mean it. They should also look for ways to
encourage the best ideas coming from any employee.
Like most people, executives don t change their habits overnight. But it might
behoove leaders to take a few simple steps:
Ask yourself if you really believe your own rhetoric about expecting all
employees to find new and better ways to do their work. If you do, how can you
underscore a genuine message to everyone? For example, in town halls or company
meetings, give credit to employees who have done some recent innovative work,
and underscore how important that type of work is to the whole organization.
Spend time visiting with employees one-on-one. Are they sitting on some great
ideas that could help your company?
Finally, think about what resources you can provide to make untapped
contributions happen. You might not want to redirect huge budget dollars. But
perhaps you can make a mentor available or give an employee an afternoon every
week to work on a special project of value to the team.
Innovation is everyone s business. And it starts from the top.
David Sturt is Executive Vice President at O.C. Tanner Co. and leader of the
O.C. Tanner Institute.
Jordan Rogers is a senior analyst for the O.C. Tanner Institute.