To remain competitive in a changing market, organizations must continually strive to deliver more value at less cost. While incremental changes are often necessary and can be very helpful, a company will usually not make great leaps ahead without some measure of breakthrough innovation. But, how does one build innovation into organization design?
Often, the organization design process is centered around tools and design processes. These are, of course, important, and putting the right process in place helps ensure adequate results. However, a design tool or process in and of itself will not generate quantum changes. To break out of the mold and solve novel design challenges in truly revolutionary ways requires harnessing the power of innovative thought.
Innovative Thinking: Not Just for Geniuses
Certain individuals seem naturally wired to think creatively. However, breakthrough thinking is not limited only to creative geniuses. Innovative thinking is a skill that can be taught to individuals and facilitated in groups. Standard organization design techniques and tools can be enhanced in specific ways to encourage creative and innovative solutions to the most challenging design problems. These include:
- Mindset shifts. Techniques such as challenging through questions can encourage design team members to approach a problem differently.
- Frameworks. The right framework can help break the pattern of linear thinking and encourage solutions that accomplish more with less.
- Leadership practices. By utilizing certain leadership skills, a leader can push their team to excellence in organization design.
Any organization design team can benefit from implementing techniques such as these that encourage a more innovative mindset. By encouraging team members to get out of established thought patterns and approach design challenges in different ways, leaders can provide an optimal environment for generating the kind of breakthrough idea needed for truly impactful change.
If you would like to learn some of the most effective techniques that leading organization design experts use to facilitate breakthrough thinking, please join us on Friday, Sept 7 at 11 am Eastern for a free webinar entitled How to Get Breakthrough Thinking in Organization Design. We will be sharing specific ways executives and practitioners can enhance standard tools and methods to encourage innovative thinking, including:
- How leaders can use contrarian ways of thinking to challenge standard organization conventions
- What frameworks can help executives design more for competing demands (e.g., efficiency and effectiveness or quality and low cost) simultaneously
- What leadership practices help executives and practitioners push organizational thinking and challenge current assumptions and ways of thinking
This webinar is free and recommended for C-suite executives and senior business managers, heads of global functions and regional operations, HR leaders and OE/talent/change professionals and anyone interested in how to spur breakthrough thinking in organization alignment efforts.
