Innovation Depends on Who Is At the Table

How diverse is your organization? Actually, how welcomed is diverse expression in your organization? The ability of your organization to innovate may depend on the answer.

“One of the basics of a good system of innovation is diversity. In some ways, the stronger the culture (national, institutional, generational, or other), the less likely it is to harbor innovative thinking. Common and deep-seated beliefs, widespread norms, and behavior and performance standards are enemies of new ideas. Any society that prides itself on being harmonious and homogeneous is very unlikely to catalyze idiosyncratic thinking. Suppression of innovation need not be overt. It can be simply a matter of people's walking around in tacit agreement and full comfort with the status quo.” -- Nicholas Negroponte

One approach to innovation is to look to the leading edge to see what others are doing. A second approach is to capture ideas as they spring up as seeds of innovation from within the organization. But there has to be a catalyst, a framework, a discussion or something to generate those ideas. What is that?

As a professional consultant in the role of building business sustainability, the answer is stakeholder engagement.

Innovative ideas do not have to come from one single source. They can generate from within the company at the ground level, from the customers, or your suppliers. Often employees have the information and ideas to make a significant but are limited by the structures of the organization. One key to innovation is to create a corporate culture that encourages and rewards diverse ideas at all levels internal to the organization as well as external to the company.

In pursuing sustainability, by definition, we are aware of the dynamic relationship with the people and environment in which we live out their daily lives. Whether incorporating sustainability concepts into everyday living or creating a sustainability plan for a business, the ability to effectively engage the outside world in the process is critical to success.
“Innovation is fostered by information gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places; from active, collegial networks and fluid, open boundaries. Innovation arises from ongoing circles of exchange, where information is not just accumulated or stored, but created. Knowledge is generated anew from connections that weren't there before.” -- Margaret J. Wheatley

In the corporate world, most business leaders agree that achieving real bottom line improvements, whether through cost savings or improved revenues, is critical to business sustainability. However, these bottom line achievements are the result of close collaboration with key stakeholders committed to the business’s success. To focus the corporate ear, business sustainability minded organizations are engaging with stakeholders, who have a vested interest in the success of the business, as source of innovation.