Information Outlook, Vol. 6, No. 1, January 2002
What Can We Learn From Innovation? by the Strategic Learning Team
In what some might call the "good old days" life-long employment and single profession careers were the standard. Today, innovation, and its byproduct, change, are the standard, and they demand a workforce and organizational models that are prepared to meet their challenges. Organizations and the people within them have much to learn from the dynamic nature of today's workplace. The key lesson is the value of lifelong learning as a cornerstone to success.
In pursuing innovation, organizations stand to learn in four arenas. First, an organization gains an in-depth audit of its resources. In the process of investigating the need for change or the possibilities for innovation, the organization has the opportunity to develop a three dimensional picture of its intellectual, physical, and relational resources. Unless it is pursuing change for change's sake, it needs to have a systematic analysis to predict the impact of any given innovation not to mention an analysis to identify areas where change might be needed. This analysis is an ideal opportunity for the organization to detail employee skill sets in addition to its relational resources such as the business processes, customer base, and communication systems.
Next, an organization learns how to provide services or products more cost effectively and efficiently. This factor, of course, is the impetus behind seeking innovation, isn't it? With well-affected analysis, creativity, organizational buy in, and lots of hard work, new business processes, new technology, and new markets can all be developed, which in turn will positively affect the bottom line.
Third, an organization can develop more effective management models. Its leaders have the opportunity to learn and practice 21st century leadership skills. These leadership skills, which can be fostered in innovative, changing environments, include coaching, effective communication, and conflict management. Additionally, leadership in dynamic organizations requires the ability to provide focus, to manage information and resources, and to build teams. By using these approaches effectively, managers can develop a base of strong employees and sound practices that will result in success immediately as well as in the future. An organization that learns to nurture these skills in its leadership is the one that will profit in the long run.
Finally, an organization can learn that change is not necessary all the time. Sometimes the established ways are the best ones at a given time, so making sweeping changes is not a profitable proposition. But an organization can only learn this through comprehensive exploration, so it is not an excuse to accept the standard quo and ignore the trend of innovation. To be competitive in the 21st century economy, an organization must actively pursue innovation and be open to change.
A person within an organization that is pursing innovation, also has many learning opportunities. If a person can learn to accept and benefit from change, to become a "change agent", he or she can leverage a career with unlimited potential. People can learn the essential skills needed in the 21st century work place. The 21st century employee needs the confidence and skill set to be a risk taker. He or she must be able to learn from every experience, to adapt and be flexible, and to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. He or she must learn to take responsibility for his or her own career track; he or she must learn to be accountable for his or her own performance and future. In order to take advantage of a changing environment, the 21st century employee needs to learn self-management, time management, and decision-making skills. He or she must be prepared to initiate and complete actions with little direction and to be creative and to be resilient. In the face of change, the employee will understand the value of life-long learning.
Next, employees in a change-embracing organization can embark on a voyage of self-discovery. Through the self-examination of responses to change, a person can learn much about his or her value system, motivations, expectations, and strengths and weaknesses. If a person faces and accepts change with an open mind, he or she has much to discover. A person, much like an organization, has the opportunity to complete a personal audit when experiencing change in the workplace.
Innovation is imperative for an organization to stay competitive in the 21st century economy, but change makes people uncomfortable. Well-managed change can be incredibly beneficial for organizations and their employees if they both take the opportunity to learn from it. SLA's Strategic Learning Team is in a position to help. In addition to introducing you to innovations within the information profession, the Strategic Learning team is prepared to encourage you in your endeavors to learn from change and become life-long learners.
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