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Cultivating a culture of innovation begins with children

Children are naturally curious. This curiosity helps them explore the new, question everything, and dream the impossible — and by doing so, learn. When we study how to foster innovative and creative cultures within organisations, it is for this reason that researchers find children interesting subjects.

Children are naturally curious. This curiosity helps them explore the new, question everything, and dream the impossible — and by doing so, learn. When we study how to foster innovative and creative cultures within organisations, it is for this reason that researchers find children interesting subjects.

Both innovators and children have the audacity to ask a seemingly simple — but powerful — question: What if?

In the business world, asking “what if”, can be transformative. What if we could replace the horse and buggy with a machine? What if we could have all the books in the world available in our pockets? What if we could store thousands of photos and countless number of documents and spreadsheets on something the size of a postage stamp? What if we could run a powerful car using electricity? What if that car could drive itself — or fly?

If companies do not embrace the future, and begin asking “what if” more, then they risk becoming irrelevant over time because others will find better, faster or cheaper solutions, and innovate around them.

How do we get more people in the “what if” frame of mind? There is no single model of innovation and it cannot be forced. But organisations can foster a culture so that people within it are given the freedom to “play” and be curious, while exploring new ways of doing things.

In Singapore, innovation may sometimes seem like a way of life with the thumb drive or USB stick having its origins in the Republic. Even behind something such as the thumb drive or USB stick — which has its origins in this city state — a “what if” would have triggered its invention.

HOW GOOGLE DOES IT

At Google, there are three distinct features of our culture that empower our employees to ask and act on a “what if”: A strong mission, transparency and ensuring everyone has a voice — all within a wider environment of trust and playfulness. They help us to tackle big problems and find creative solutions.

First, a strong mission gives meaning and motivates employees. Each organisation will have a different mission, but the desire to make meaning is in all of our DNA. Uber does not just want to provide an app for people to book transport, they have a mission to evolve the way the entire world moves.

Having a mission does not guarantee success, but when something fails, they do so in the attempt to solve something meaningful. At Google, through an annual survey we conduct with all employees, called Googlegeist, we put a heart-rate monitor on whether people continue to find meaning in our mission and ensure that people continue to love the work they’re doing.

Second, transparency builds trust. A transparent culture where information is accessible by employees and where information is shared freely can lead to much higher engagement.

Within Google we share almost everything. This means an engineer fresh from university has access to the same code and systems as our senior product managers. A fresh-faced marketing intern finds out about upcoming products at the same time as veterans who have been at the company for a decade. Good ideas can come from anywhere, so an open culture means the most sets of eyes are casting their gaze over any one area or problem.

Finally, giving employees a voice can empower them to ask questions and raise concerns. This gives rise to better ideas, and reinforces the idea that everyone can participate. Perhaps most importantly, it gives leadership deep insights into what’s on people’s minds. What is working inside an organisation and what’s not?

At Google, we have a weekly all-company meeting with our founders and senior leaders where employees are encouraged to ask questions and challenge current thinking. We have also built an internal tool where people can submit and vote for the most popular questions to be asked in this forum.

Having an open and transparent culture by default may well be one of the most cost effective things a leader can do: Culture costs nothing, but it needs to be nurtured with a creative and passionate workforce.

This is also why hiring the right people is the most important thing a manager can do. If you find smart and creative people who are passionate about a mission and you treat them like adults while trusting them to do the right thing, they actually will.

Perhaps the most important lesson children can teach us about building a culture of innovation is to not be afraid of failing. As any parent will tell you, making mistakes is how children learn. It is the many tumbles before taking that first solid step; brushing their fingers on a hot frying pan to understand the danger, and the countless errors of judgment a teenager will make on their way to adulthood.

In an innovative culture, if you do not make mistakes, you are not pushing the boundaries enough. Nobody actually wants to fail, but if you push the limits of what is possible, you can learn a lot, really fast.

And surrounding yourself with people who are eager to learn a lot quickly is a good thing, because the faster you and your team make mistakes, the faster you learn, which actually increases the speed to success.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr Frederik Pferdt is Google’s head of innovation and creativity and a lecturer at Stanford University in the United States.

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