As any good coach recognizes, if your team is not motivated, why bother set the ball rolling?

The challenge applies to innovation. You may have your program in place with a brand, a logo, and maybe even a mascot. You may have the energy to start the campaign so you flick a switch and still… nobody comes.

This is the most challenging roadblock to overcome in innovation management programs – lack of engagement. Low participation levels can exist right from the start or may develop over time, even if you have a good Idea Management Software in place. Where did the energy and enthusiasm for innovation go? They’re still present but you have failed to harness them.

What’s the trick to engaging people and their enthusiasm? How do you increase the stickiness of your innovation efforts?

Insight:

“Consider the recent ‘Global Workforce Survey’ conducted by Towers Perrin, an HR consultancy… The survey covered many of the key factors that determine workplace engagement, including: the ability to participate in decision-making, the encouragement given for innovative thinking, the availability of skill-enhancing job assignments and the interest shown by senior executives in employee well-being.

Here’s what the researchers discovered: barely one-fifth (21%) of employees are truly engaged in their work, in the sense that they would ‘go the extra mile’ for their employer. Nearly four out of ten (38%) are mostly or entirely disengaged, while the rest are in the tepid middle.”

Gary Hamel, WSJ, “Management’s Dirty Little Secret”

Remember: contributing to enterprise innovation is everyone’s job. It’s also generally an extra responsibility on top of someone’s daily tasks so encouragement is needed to get their attention and participation.

So, how to build a winning team?

Pedro do Carmo Costa, Exago’s director and co-founder
pcc@exago.com

FROM THE START: Innovation looks easy – it’s not