1. Resistance to change
Implementing bottom-up innovation requires a cultural shift within the organization. Some employees may be comfortable with the existing processes and hesitant to embrace new ideas or approaches.
It is important to bring employees along on the intrapreneurship journey. Encourage personal investment in the innovation process by offering significant reward for taking the risk and putting in the effort.
2. Lack of support and resources
Without proper support from management and allocation of resources, intrapreneurship efforts may struggle to succeed. Employees need the necessary time, funding, and tools to explore and develop their ideas.
Allow employees to make use of office hours (about 20 % is ideal), in-house experts and other resources in their innovation process. If you value innovation, with more than just words, your employees will be more likely to engage in the process.
3. Risk aversion
If a company prioritizes risk mitigation over exploration, they can stifle any attempts at innovation by resisting ideas that deviate from established norms or that carry uncertainties. Risk aversion, as a company culture, tells employees it’s better to be safe than to think creatively.
By embracing a culture of failing forward and gathering learnings along the way, employees can trust the process and learn to take measured risks into new territory.
4. No recognition or rewards
Innovating requires effort, conviction and personal resources. A lack of acknowledgment can whittle away motivation and hinder the sustainability of such initiatives.
A little recognition goes a long way. Rewarding intrepreneurial behaviour can bolster the confidence of employees facing the steep climb of iterative innovation. Remember to recognise invalidated ideas as emphatically as validated ones. An invalidated idea is full of new learnings and data to inform the next Problem Adventure.
5. Managing expectations
Bottom-up innovation generates a large number of ideas. Not all of them will be feasible or align with the company's strategic goals. Managing expectations and effectively evaluating and prioritizing ideas can be challenging. However, it is vital to avoid disappointment and maintain employee engagement.
Many successful innovators are famous for failing and trying again until they discovered a winning idea. It's about the process, the learnings. It is important to have a company culture that encourages grit and commitment despite setbacks.
The common denominator in addressing these challenges comes down to company culture. Creating an environment that nurtures innovative behaviour is vital. Innovators require a supportive culture that values and encourages innovation and flexible decision-making processes, while providing resource allocation and recognition mechanisms to empower and motivate employees. The company must serve as fertile soil and a safe space to iterate ideas over and over again.
5 Ways to grow an Innovation Culture
- Have an innovation programme or strategy in place
- Ensure Psychological Safety for all employees before expecting innovative ideas; there’s no such thing as a bad idea.
- Allow employees time and resources to innovate and iterate.
- Celebrate invalidated ideas as well as validated ones.
- Encourage expert employees to offer advice and perspective.
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