Even in an industry such as medical device manufacturing, which is well known for technological innovation, there are compelling reasons to reevaluate a company's innovation practices, says Haman. But that's not a reasonable time frame for reshaping a company's culture and making it more amenable to innovation. Those kind of changes could take two years to show real results. The first place to start to foster an innovative workplace is with top managers. Also essential to creating a climate that allows innovation to happen are being open and listening to new ideas, tolerating risk taking, and fostering trust and respect for others in the workplace.
Innovation is nourished by both the social and physical environments in the workplace.
A great idea contributed by an individual can be improved by the thinking and contributions of a group. But for ideas to be shared, people need to know they'll be heard and respected. Physical environment plays a part as well. Ideally, individual offices would be clustered in neighborhoods surrounding a team meeting room or table. The discussion that occurs between diverse companies in diverse industries is the richest part of the program.