IT outsourcing firms are struggling to foster a culture of innovation. How can you help them succeed?

1 Define your innovation goals

Before you start any innovation project, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you will measure your success. You also need to align your innovation goals with your client's expectations and needs. For example, do you want to improve the quality, speed, or functionality of your deliverables? Do you want to explore new technologies, methods, or markets? Do you want to create new products, services, or business models? Whatever your goals are, make sure they are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

2 Encourage collaboration and diversity

Innovation thrives on collaboration and diversity. You need to create a culture where your team members can share their ideas, feedback, and knowledge with each other and with your client. You also need to leverage the diverse skills, perspectives, and backgrounds of your team members and external partners. For example, you can use tools like Slack, Trello, or Google Docs to facilitate communication and project management. You can also organize brainstorming sessions, hackathons, or workshops to generate and test new ideas. You can also invite experts, mentors, or customers to join your innovation process and provide insights and guidance.

3 Provide incentives and recognition

One of the biggest challenges for IT outsourcing firms is to motivate their team members to innovate and take risks. You need to provide incentives and recognition for your team members who contribute to your innovation efforts and outcomes. For example, you can offer rewards, bonuses, or promotions for those who come up with or implement innovative solutions. You can also celebrate and showcase your innovation successes and learnings internally and externally. You can also create a feedback loop where you acknowledge and address the challenges and failures of your innovation projects and use them as opportunities for improvement.

4 Invest in learning and development

Innovation requires constant learning and development. You need to invest in your team members' skills and capabilities to keep up with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in your field. You also need to foster a growth mindset where your team members are willing to learn from their mistakes and experiment with new approaches. For example, you can provide training, coaching, or mentoring programs for your team members to enhance their technical, creative, or business skills. You can also encourage your team members to pursue their own learning goals and interests and share their learnings with others.

5 Balance innovation and execution

Finally, you need to balance your innovation and execution activities. You need to manage your time, resources, and priorities effectively to deliver your core services while pursuing your innovation goals. You also need to align your innovation and execution processes and standards to ensure quality, consistency, and compliance. For example, you can use agile, lean, or design thinking methodologies to guide your innovation projects and deliver value to your client quickly and iteratively. You can also use tools like Jira, GitHub, or CodePen to track, document, and share your code and prototypes.