Kill the Company

Remove the Barriers

While leaders often complain about a lack of innovation from employees, the impediment that holds back most organizations is executives’ insistence on innovating within the constraints of the current modus operandi. Most employees have no shortage of ideas, yet, even if you’re in a company that is open to new concepts, you may be caught in a time trap, where the emphasis on production is so strong that you don’t have time to think about how to perform better. To break this cycle, think first about the “four essential tenets” of change:

1. “Everyone is a change agent” – All employees are creative in some way; involve them in innovation.
2. “Created by the employees, for the employees” – Staffers should lead change initiatives. They know the challenges intimately, and they are most able to solve them.
3. “Little changes, big impact” – Focus on the small, “quick wins” and the steady progress that can add up to real change.
4. “Evolve and iterate” – Encourage trial and error, get feedback, adjust along the way, and keep removing the obstacles to innovation.