What do you do if your employees don't see the value and importance of innovation?

1 Identify the barriers

The first step is to understand why your employees don't see the value and importance of innovation. There could be many reasons, such as fear of failure, lack of time, resources, or skills, unclear goals or expectations, or resistance to change. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or feedback sessions to gather insights from your employees and identify the main obstacles they face. This will help you design solutions that address their specific needs and concerns.

2 Communicate the benefits

The next step is to communicate the benefits of innovation for your organization, your team, and your employees. You can use stories, examples, data, or testimonials to show how innovation can improve your performance, customer satisfaction, or competitive advantage. You can also highlight how innovation can help your employees develop new skills, enhance their career opportunities, or increase their motivation and satisfaction. You can use different channels, such as newsletters, intranet, meetings, or workshops, to share your innovation vision and goals and inspire your employees to join you.

3 Provide support and incentives

The third step is to provide support and incentives for your employees to participate in innovation activities. You can offer training, coaching, mentoring, or tools to help your employees acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to innovate. You can also create a safe and supportive environment where your employees can experiment, learn, and share their ideas and feedback without fear of judgment or criticism. You can also reward and recognize your employees for their innovation efforts and outcomes, such as by giving them feedback, praise, recognition, or incentives.

4 Involve and empower your employees

The fourth step is to involve and empower your employees in the innovation process. You can solicit their input, suggestions, or opinions on various aspects of innovation, such as identifying problems, generating ideas, testing solutions, or implementing changes. You can also give them autonomy and ownership over their innovation projects and allow them to make decisions and take risks. You can also encourage them to collaborate and network with other teams, departments, or external partners to exchange knowledge and perspectives and leverage diverse expertise and resources.

5 Celebrate and learn from failures

The fifth step is to celebrate and learn from failures. You can use failures as opportunities to learn, improve, and grow, rather than as reasons to blame, punish, or discourage your employees. You can share your own failures and lessons learned and encourage your employees to do the same. You can also create a culture of feedback and reflection where you and your employees can regularly review your innovation results and processes and identify what worked well and what needs improvement. You can also use failures as triggers for new ideas and solutions.

6 Model and promote innovation

The sixth step is to model and promote innovation. You can lead by example and demonstrate your own commitment and passion for innovation. You can also showcase and share your innovation projects and achievements and invite your employees to do the same. You can also create and participate in innovation events, such as hackathons, ideathons, or innovation days, where you and your employees can have fun, learn, and innovate together. You can also invite external speakers, experts, or innovators to share their insights and experiences and inspire your employees to innovate.