“We are what we repeatedly do.” – Aristotle
Culture can be defined as a consistent pattern in behaviour in an organization. An innovation culture works as the framework behind every creative act. It emphasizes the way creativity is encouraged and supported in an organization. For an innovation culture to flourish in an organization, it requires an open platform that helps employees express their thoughts and bring them into action.
Communities have emerged to be a strong platform for the exchange of creative ideas and building a culture of innovation. And these ideas can come from both employees and customers. That’s where organizations can leverage Salesforce’s Ideas Component in the Community Cloud.
However, effective management of ideas shared in a Salesforce community calls for an idea management platform. It manages the different ideas posted in the community which helps in growing the creative ability of the organization.
In this blog post, we discuss the importance of a culture of innovation in an organization and how it can be encouraged through the use of idea management software. Take a look.
The Role of Ideas Management Software in Creating a Culture of Innovation
Here are some ways an Ideas Management Software can help you create a culture of innovation:
Consider the Number of Logins and Ideas
If the bounce rate of your ideas management software is high, it can be a cause of concern and should be taken into consideration. If people stay active in your community but do not share their ideas, it’s possible that they don’t feel encouraged to do so. This lack of participation helps you understand the steps that you need to take to encourage more participation.
Incline Towards Cloaked Ideas
This brings a safe and secure culture to your community. A cloaked message allows ideators to hide their identity and share an anonymous post on the idea platform. Further, if the post gets a positive response, it can make its identity visible. This process encourages the ideators to feel secure while bringing creative ideas to the community.
Don’t forget to check out: Salesforce Product: Community Cloud
Bust Hierarchy
Great ideas can come from anyone, irrespective of their position in the organization. Letting them slip away in the process of a long set hierarchy can lead to losing some breakthrough novelty. Collaborations in online communities allow innovators to bypass the hierarchy and express their thoughts with more freedom.
Encourage Creativity and Utilize Bulletins
Valuing unconventional thinking assures employees that no idea is a bad idea. It encourages them on their path to creating something new. Posting bulletins can be another way to inspire the innovative participants of the community. Small comments acknowledging the ideators and active contributors can prove to be a very powerful way to enhance engagement on the platform.
Provide Constructive and Frequent Feedback
Innovation is a result of small experiments and multiple combinations of ideas, keen observations, and fast and supportive feedback. As per Stefan Thomke, every process, whether large or small, goes through the process of design, build, analysis, and constructive feedback. When members are acknowledged for sharing ideas, it keeps them engaged in your community.
Offer Rewards and Recognition
Your employees and customers deserve to be rewarded for their impeccable behaviour and breakthrough ideas. Offering a raise or promotions for their creative contributions can be a healthy way to build a strong innovation culture. Thoughtful gifts or a chance to present their idea in front of the senior management are great ways to acknowledge the sincere efforts of the contributors.
Gamify the Ideation Platform
Gamification can foster innovation by engaging and motivating the ideators and urging them to participate and reach the top of the leaderboards. Competitive platforms allow diverse employees to come together and participate.
Such interactions can lead to a better flow of ideas, supporting creativity and a culture of innovation. ScoreNotch is a dynamic solution for community gamification, enabled to work in Salesforce Lightning Experience, allowing businesses to boost engagement in online communities.
How to Achieve a Culture of Innovation?
Innovation culture in an organization helps encourage creativity in employees who think out of the box. Here are a few questions that will help an organization understand how it can achieve an innovative culture.
- Are the participants aware of the purpose of the community? It should be regularly communicated through various communication channels and bulletins.
- Are the contributors acknowledged transparently for their contributions?
- Is there enough material floated across the platform to spark engagement and innovation?
- Does the platform support a clear path from an idea to innovation?
- Does the platform encourage creativity with rewards?
- Are the ideators aware of how the platform can bring success to the organization?
Check out another amazing blog by Sukhwinder here: Driving Your Innovation Process With an Ideas Management Software | Salesforce
Conclusion
A healthy innovation culture gives voice to each person in an organization and allows its customers to participate in the idea generation process. It empowers them to bring forth their ideas and contribute to the success of the company. The innovation culture is an illustration of the extent of an organization’s trust in its employees’ creativity and intelligence. It forms the basis to unlock the future accomplishments of a company.
IdeasPro is a platform that supports the creativity and innovation of ideators by managing ideas on Salesforce communities with its 20+ out-of-the-box functionalities and various other features.
Want to Build a Culture of Innovation? Let’s Talk!
To know more about how IdeasPro works, schedule a 1:1 demo. And for any other questions, feel free to drop us a line at [email protected] and we’ll take it from there.
