The Innovation Formula. Imber Amantha

yet been published.

      But even that wasn't enough. Hunter feared that by looking only at published studies they might miss out on research where the effect sizes had been weak (and therefore not ‘worthy' of publication). So Hunter and his teammates used their literature review to identify academics who had published at least two articles on creativity and culture over the previous ten years. They were all contacted and asked for any unpublished papers on the topic.

      This comprehensive search uncovered 88 articles, conference papers and manuscripts. A psychologist then reviewed each of these articles and eliminated the ones that did not have sound methodology, did not specifically focus on the relationship between culture and creativity and innovation, and were not quantitative in nature. This whittled the number of papers down to 42, representing data from a total of 14 490 participants.

      The data was crunched, and what came out the other end was a set of 14 variables that held up as having a significant impact on innovation culture. All of these variables are discussed in various ways in the chapters of this book.

***

      In addition to Hunter's meta-analysis, The Innovation Formula draws on several other meta-analyses and individual studies that have revealed the most important drivers of innovation culture. These drivers are covered in four separate parts within this book.

      Part I looks at what you, the individual, need to be doing. This covers variables that can be influenced at the individual level. If you are a manager reading this book, you can use these chapters to help mentor and coach the people in your team more effectively. You can also use these chapters to reconsider how you structure people's roles, projects and rewards. And if you have no managerial responsibilities, then you can use the chapters in part I to reflect on your own role and projects, and for ideas on how to change what you do to help inject greater creativity into your job.

      Part II delves into the team level. There is a variety of innovation drivers that can be manipulated within teams. If you are a manager leading small or large teams of people, these chapters will be useful for thinking about the types of variables that need to be present within your team. You can reflect on the type of culture that currently exists within your team, and use these chapters for ideas on what you can change and improve. If you are not a manager, you can use these chapters to influence at the grassroots level how your team works. Whether you work in a team of two or a team of 20, there are many ideas here that you can integrate into the way your team functions.

      Part III examines creating a culture that supports innovation at the leadership level. The research and advice contained here is in the form of tangible recommendations and examples for leaders who are trying to foster a culture of innovation within their organisation, department or team. Even if you don't have official leadership responsibilities, the tips in these chapters will transform you into a leader who inspires people to innovate.

      Part IV focuses on variables that need to be present across the entire organisation to affect innovation culture. These are arguably the most challenging to influence, given the reach they need to have. If you are a leader you can use these chapters to help other leaders within your organisation focus on the activities that truly build and foster a culture of innovation. And if you don't have managerial responsibilities, then these chapters will educate you on the seeds you need to be planting to create change.

      The final chapter of this book provides advice on what to do next, suggesting concrete steps towards being a change agent for innovation culture within your organisation.

***

      At this point, you may be wondering about the best way to digest all of the 14 factors that drive innovation culture. And, after reading all those chapters, what is the best way to actually start driving 14 culture changers all at once?

      Let me present you with a couple of options:

      1. In Hunter's meta-analysis of the strongest drivers of an innovation culture, the researchers crunched the data in a way that ranked the variables from most to least impactful. Obviously, all of them have an impact – and a significant one at that. But if you want to focus on the most impactful variables, focus on chapters 1, 4, 8, 11 and 12.

      2. Complete the basic Innovation Culture Audit survey. The audit asks you a series of questions that represent the cultural factors reported in this book. By understanding the current strengths and weaknesses of your organisation you will be able to effectively prioritise your innovation efforts.

      So in the spirit of innovation, I encourage you to learn more about the science of creating a culture where innovation thrives, and come out the other end armed to make changes to transform your organisation and the way you work. No matter how big or small those changes may be, you can be sure that they will have a significant effect on improving the innovation output of your organisation.

      INNOVATION CULTURE AUDIT

      To get a quick snapshot of how the culture of your organisation performs across the dimensions that matter, take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire.

      Please rate your agreement with each item on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree.

      The next step is to tally up your score for items 1 to 6 (individual-level factors), 7 to 12 (team-level factors), 13 to 20 (leader-level factors), and 21 to 28 (organisation-level factors).

      Individual-level factors (items 1 to 6)

       Below average

      (scores between 1 and 10)

      Your score suggests that there is much room for improvement on the individual-level factors that affect innovation culture. Individuals in your organisation may be low on at least one of the following factors:

       Challenge . In order for innovation to thrive, people need to feel challenged by the work they do. If people feel they can complete most tasks with their eyes shut, then innovation will be low. If your scores for items 1 and 2 are below 3 on the five-point scale, chapter 1 is a good place to find some ideas about how you can inject more challenges into your own personal work and into the work of your organisation.

       Autonomy . People with low autonomy may feel micromanaged or feel that they have little choice as to how they complete everyday tasks and projects they are given. If your scores for items 3 and 4 are below 3, chapter 2 will be helpful in providing ways you can start to increase autonomy for yourself and for others within your organisation.

       Recognition . If you feel like you and others in your organisation are generally not acknowledged for the work that you do, then chances are your scores for items 5 and 6 are below 3. Receiving recognition, at both an individual level and a team or organisation-wide level, is an important driver of innovation culture. If recognition is lacking in your organisation, chapter 3 provides some advice on how you can start to integrate it into what you do.

       Average

      (scores between 11 and 20)

      Chances are that individuals in your organisation feel challenged by their work to a moderate extent, people feel relatively autonomous in how they go about planning their day-to-day work, and some individuals feel recognised for the work they contribute towards innovation. While the good news is that you are not below average, there is still a fair degree of room for improvement.

      Item scores of 3 or below

       Items 1 and 2 . Chapter 1 is a good place to start. This chapter explains how to create more of a sense of challenge for individuals within your organisation. If people don't regularly feel challenged by the work they do, then innovation tends to be dormant.

       Items 3 and 4 . See chapter 2 for advice on how to help individuals feel a greater sense of autonomy over the work they do. If people feel like they don't have freedom over how they do their work, or even what projects they can choose to work on, then you are not giving innovation a chance to thrive.

       Items 5 and 6 .