• Sometimes we focus on the technical aspects of the innovation process and forget the place of conversations.
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Innovation cannot be done alone; it’s a team sport. Effective leaders understand that they need different skill sets at different stages of their vision to make innovation happen. So, to make new ideas flourish, you need different people working well together. Please note these key words: “different people working well together.” In the innovation process, it is important for leaders to achieve this goal. But, how? One way is: talk.
Yes. Talk. Sometimes we focus on the technical aspects of the innovation process and forget the place of conversations. As a team, what are we saying to each other daily? What kind of conversations are we having? What kind of ideas are we floating around? What kind of words dominate our conversations? The nature of talk amongst team members can make or break the team. Still, why is talk so important? It is important for these three main reasons.
To Understand the Vision: In many organizations, the vision is put up on the wall, found on their websites and different brand touchpoints. However, we all know that many employees don’t care about such things. But, talk or good conversations as teams work on projects brings the vision alive. When the vision are just words on the wall, it’s not alive. The nature of work should drive the kind of conversations that makes the vision make sense.
As people in an organization engage in talk, they start to flesh out the vision and make it plain. They begin to see the dynamics of the vision and how it works out in real life. Hence, innovation is no longer feels like building castles in the sky. As people talk, they find the pathways for innovation to happen. Talk is key to effective innovation.
To Understand the People: We easily forget that workers in an organization are people. Those charged with driving innovation are people. These people have an effect on the innovation process, hence the need for effective conversations between them. Now, to advance the innovation process, the people in the team must understand each other to effectively work together. When people talk, they create an atmosphere that makes innovation possible.
To Create Better Workflow: Effective talk fosters the bond that makes for easier workflow. When people talk, ideas move from person to person and each person’s performance is fine-tuned in the process to fit the corporate vision. Conversations create a web that builds the critical mass for innovation to flourish. Ultimately, talk fuels the innovation process.
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