A Growth Mindset is Needed to Drive a Culture of Innovation
Growth Mindset
Earlier this week, I was conversing with a client about a growth mindset, what it means to have a growth mindset, and how you instill it into your culture. First, we must look at what is a growth mindset and how it leads to an Innovation Culture.
According to an article from the Harvard Business Review, someone with a?growth mindset?views intelligence, abilities, and talents as learnable and capable of improvement through effort.? Having a growth mindset can serve you in these four ways as you grow your business and product offerings:
Creating a culture of innovation is easier said than done
Creating a culture that attracts AND retains top talent takes work, time, and commitment from the top leaders within the organization.?
So, how do you determine whether you have a good culture that is driving innovation and results? First, look at your mission statement and values. Are you leading with them and holding you and your team accountable in everything that you do to live up to the vision, mission, and values?
An example of companies who lead the pack in culture by living out their mission and values include;?REI,?Patagonia,?Netflix,&?Google.
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As you’re creating your culture based on values and mission, don’t forget to think about diversity within your workforce, which creates different ways of thinking and brings innovation. If you’re not careful, you can create a “monoculture” inadvertently, which can stifle innovation in your organization.?You also jeopardize the reach of your products and services to a narrowed target audience, one that looks and thinks like your employee base.?
If you’re committed to a culture that drives innovation, look at your current culture and employee base and assess whether it truly is a diverse pool of talent. Ask yourself; “do we invite different ways of thinking or do we tend to hire people that are like us with the same views because it’s more comfortable.???
At Intuitive Technology Group, we often have conversations about innovative cultures, given our space and expertise in the digital transformation world. Being innovative means bringing in different views and challenging ourselves to think and work differently. If you’re ready and committed to an innovative culture here are some tips on creating an innovative culture.
5 Tips on creating an innovative culture
Saying your an?innovative culture?will certainly attract talent, but if you don’t live it out and reward the behaviors, you’ll have a hard time retaining top talent.
*HBR Source https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset
Innovator | Executive Leader | Talent Coach | Strategist | Change Advocate | Non-profit Board Member
1 年My favorite part - "Accept failure as part of the innovation process.?If you’re not failing, at least in small measures, you’re not innovating and pushing enough new ideas." Yes - learn from what didn't work and fail forward!
Mindset Coach - Creator of the Powder Day Mindset: 5 steps for creating unpredictable results.
1 年Yes indeed - and you can foster a growth mindset at the company by asking, “what are our core values and how can we bring more of them to this situation, chalkenge or goal?” Takes some courage but doable.
Software Engineering Manager, Membership and Generosity Technology | High-performing Team Builder | People-focused Career Coach | Customer Experience Advocate
1 年Love this, Susan! I really resonate with this reminder: "Accept failure as part of the innovation process." Running experiments is core to my leadership style. If we can change our mindsets to think of "failures" as "lessons teaching us how NOT to do it", we are more likely continue ideating & innovating. #incrementalimprovement
Visionary, Strategy & Innovation enabler | LinkedIn Top Voice, Influencer, Blogger, Speaker | Startup> Guru, Founder, Advisor, Board Member | Fortune 500 Trainer | Looking for Visionaries!
1 年It's imperative to recognize the importance of not merely adopting a growth mindset but actively embedding it within an organization's ethos. Your mention of avoiding a “monoculture” and striving for diversity further underscores a key element in this journey. A genuinely innovative culture thrives on a melting pot of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. This diversity serves as an antidote to the echo chambers we sometimes inadvertently create. Lastly, your point on allocating dedicated time for ideation is actionable and crucial. Just as any skill requires regular practice, so does the act of ideation and innovation. By setting aside time, we're essentially prioritizing 'growth' in our daily routines. In sum, just as we can't expect a tree to bear fruit merely by affirming its ability to do so, an innovative culture demands more than words. It requires concerted actions, nurtured diversity, and an unwavering commitment to growth and learning.
Leading the digital revolution in organizations and community
1 年great points, I would add that one needs to be in or have created a space of psychological safety before one can get a growth mindset. That is: people must be able to feel included, safe to learn, safe to contribute, and safe to challenge the status quo ( this is a great book about this: https://www.amazon.com/Stages-Psychological-Safety-Inclusion-Innovation/dp/1523087684) also companies & executives often are found shouting "Give it more gas" (i.e. Lets create a growth mindset) when more often the velocity problem of their company is not about putting the foot down on the gas pedal but taking their foot off the brakes. It is important to consider the stuff in your company that is pushing on the brake. These are often things like: friction with decision making, inability to access capital, a culture that punishes failure, hierarchy and territory issues, difficulty sharing information, not using data (or the right data) to make decisions etc. Let up on the brake and you will be agile, faster, and ultimately in more control. (and this can cost less than adding more gas)