Agility, Innovation and Creativity - an organisation-wide formula for success

If we’ve learned anything over the last two months, it’s that agility is one of the most important traits a company, and indeed an individual can possess. The companies and organisations that are coming out ahead or thriving during the crisis are definitely the most agile. They were most able to navigate the challenges thrown up by COVID-19, including remote working, disrupted supply chains, and lower demand.

Although agility is remarkable in itself, when combined with creativity and innovation, companies and organisations really take off, and the three traits tie into each other. Companies that are more creative will in turn be able to be more innovative and agile and vice versa.

But, how can companies become more agile?  What are the conditions one needs to put in place to ensure these three traits run through the veins of your company or organisation? In my experience, it comes from the top down and then back up again!

We all know that an agile work environment means that feedback should be more readily shared despite hierarchy, but that means that leadership has to buy into an agile way of working. Only when leadership is able to fully grasp that agility means taking on board constructive criticism, will creativity and innovation flourish. And, how can employees be more creative?

Creativity and innovation come from teams that are unencumbered by bureaucracy and where individuals feel free to voice their opinions. Yes, candidate selection is also important and hiring creative and innovative talent is also key. But, ensuring that talent is able to express their ideas and insights is paramount.

“Necessity is the mother of all invention” as the saying goes. But, the ability to be inventive and effective truly comes from an organisation-wide buy into agility, innovation and creativity. 

#hct #injazat #innovation @hct

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