When companies need to excel they have choices about what areas of their products and services can be improved or reinvented. But if that were easy, there would be no challenge and all companies would continue to perform at the same, if higher, level. The truth is that ambitious enterprises that want to move ahead of their competition need to create new ideas and ways to be better than their competitors. The commonly used term for this is innovation, and companies are pursuing different ways to encourage an innovative spirit within their ranks to produce the next idea that thrills customers and pushes the company ahead.
Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Hightail, has devoted much of his career to guiding innovative environments in companies that have capitalized on the results. Here's what Garlinghouse says about innovation:
"A company is a reflection of the product it builds, and conversely, great products are an outcome of environments where innovation can thrive and talented people are encouraged to be bold.
"During my time at Yahoo! I realized culture is more than just a working environment, it's how people feel about coming to work everyday; it's how they think about their work and how they feel about who they work for. You want people to think about work in a good way so they continue to be innovative.
"At Hightail, I implemented the company values of be in, be real, be bold. I believe that people should be authentic and true to themselves and those around them. I also encourage direct and honest communication, especially the airing of divergent opinions. Most importantly, I believe in passion! We encourage failure so that no avenue is left unexplored; it's important to think big and take risks.
"It takes a lot of work to build a great culture, but the first step is to figure out what inspires people to do great work."
The combination of passion and defined values in a culture where open discussion is encouraged can make a difference in the way employees affect the company they work in. Have you been able to define the values and communicate them within your company?
Scott Koegler practiced IT as a CIO for 15 years. He also has more than 20 years experience as a technology journalist covering topics ranging from software and services through business strategy. He has written white papers and directed and published video interviews.
