At its core, invention starts with an idea. A vision. And most leaders agree that the best ideas are a result of considering a lot of ideas. It’s a numbers game; it’s why brainstorming is such a popular technique in problem solving. The aim is to create a lot of possibilities to get to the best possible solution.
But what if we want to move beyond invention – to innovation? And what’s the difference?
Innovation is where an unmet need connects with a good idea to meet it. And the most innovative companies have created (and continually foster) an environment in which all ideas are welcome and all ideas have a place to go.
At LivaNova, we recognize that innovation requires more than dedicated engineers. It requires an innovation community made up of all functions involved in new product development. In MedTech, that most often includes Regulatory, Clinical, Medical Affairs, Quality, Manufacturing Operations, as well as R&D (among others). We also work closely with innovation partners in Sales, IT, Finance, Procurement, Compliance, Market Access, to name a few.
The point is that ideas can come from any of these functions and teams. A member of the sales team has direct access to customer feedback. An engineer knows how the product currently works and how it could be improved. A manufacturing expert understands how to make sure it can be produced better at scale. What’s critical is that we encourage the open sharing of all ideas and that we provide a platform for them to be submitted by anyone.
So how do we encourage this?
It begins with how we talk to each other. “I like that idea…”
How we challenge each other. “I like that idea, but I wonder if this other one is more likely to get budget.”
How we manage risk. “I like that idea, but I wonder if this other one is more likely to get budget and there’s uncertainty with both.”
And how we make decisions. “I like that idea, but I wonder if this other one is more likely to get budget and there’s uncertainty with both – how do we decide where to go from here?”
Our culture of innovation emphasizes five key approaches to how we think and behave, which influences how we talk to each other:
- I can be honest about my thoughts and I’m not afraid to hear yours: leaders set the example of psychological safety, recognize the difference between task and relationship conflict, and choose to believe in positive intent
- I think critically: we focus on inclusion, but know when to collaborate; choose diversity of thought
- I am willing to reconsider my position; I have an open mind: we work to build confident humility (defined by Adam Grant as “having faith in our capability while appreciating that we may not have the right solution or even be addressing the right problem”); we aim to avoid confirmation bias and desirability bias
- I have a healthy relationship with risk and I am willing to fail strategically: we learn how to identify strategic risk; develop prototypes; celebrate failure, learn quickly, and improve
- I seek first to understand, then to be understood: we are sincerely curious; we ask questions to better understand
Once the culture promotes idea sharing, feedback, and risk-taking, a platform should be established that is available to all. Many companies offer tools that promote idea sharing and evaluation, but it doesn’t need to be complex. An email address dedicated to submissions, a web-based form, or leveraging functionality in an existing platform.
It is also critical to acknowledge the tension between risk, innovation, and failure. One cannot exist without the other two. And if we are to increase risk-taking (especially the inherent risk in presenting a new idea), we must change our language. Maybe risk’s possible outcomes aren’t success and failure. Maybe risk’s possible outcomes are the seemingly neutral planned and unplanned outcome. “Failure” is a value judgement – and it’s often too soon to label an outcome a complete failure. It is possible that a missed milestone led to a finding that determined a new course entirely and ultimately saved time and resources.
Ideas should be evaluated by a diverse (but reasonably small) group of people with the appropriate expertise and insights. Ideas not pursued should be routed elsewhere (for example to a Strategy team focused on long-term planning). If the idea is not aligned with either near- or long-term roadmaps, responses to submitters should be personal, honest, and sincere.
Organizations with a culture to support ideation and a dedicated process to make employees feel heard will enjoy more ideas, a workforce who feels heard, and the ability to meet currently unmet needs.
What are you doing to create a culture of ideation in your world?
Christy spent fifteen years in consulting, convincing teams and departments to implement change they didn’t ask for (often successfully). She has worked with a broad range of companies from Coca Cola to Johnson and Johnson and has found that the common denominator in successful change is that people want to be told the truth and want to be inspired. Now in industry, her current role focuses on driving innovation transformation in Medical Technology.
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