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Do You Have A Culture Of Innovation?

Phil McKinney
Phil McKinney
— 1 min read
The Innovators Studio podcast cover art: Do You Have A Culture Of Innovation?

Culture of Innovation

Culture is one of those things that is hard to quantify. When I ask executives about their culture, they are confident that they have a culture that encourages innovation. In most cases, these same executives project their wishes for their culture and not the reality.

Culture is enabled by people and their views and opinions can get in the way if you don’t stay on top of it.

What kind of culture do you have?

Is there a way to get a more unbiased view of your culture? Yes—by answering the followings questions:

Ask several people in your organization what they believe is the essence of what the organization stands for. If you get different answers, that points to a lack of clarity, which then means each person is projecting what they think.

How are your organizations the same/different from others? If you are generic with a generic culture, then innovation is NOT part of what you are about.

For the people who are successful in your organization, what are their common traits?  What are the skills, abilities, etc that get people promoted?

What are the characteristics of people who failed in your organization?

Who are the 5 most respected people in your organization? Why?

What is the characteristic of the missed opportunities and failures of the organization?

To hear how to access your organizations' culture, listen to Do You Have A Culture Of Innovation.

If you are looking for assistance in establishing a strong culture of innovation, then consider working with an innovation agency like Techtrend Group.

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Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.


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