Take the First Steps to Foster True Innovation in Your I.T. Organization

What have you done that is innovative?  Senior IT leaders believe their teams are innovative but often, they are merely operating within the boundaries that already exist.  Leaders may task their teams with finding innovative solutions but without a focused effort, it is difficult to accomplish.  IT staff are generally focused on keeping the lights on by solving day to day issues or completing their tasks for the next project.

Innovation requires a concerted effort with support from senior leaders to explore new ideas that may or may not deliver the intended result.  If staff haven’t been working in this type of environment, this doesn’t come easy.  It isn’t as simple as just giving the team a vision, telling them to explore possibilities, and then giving them a deadline.  Unfortunately, this is how many IT organizations work.

---

"Innovation is seeing beyond the status quo to create significant change to products and services, processes,
​or your business model."

It can be difficult for leaders to fully internalize how their reactions can shape the attitudes and behaviors of their teams.  IT staff need to think out of the box but in the past if they presented a solution that wasn’t within the existing norms of the organization, it was shot down.  Perhaps it didn’t follow a technology standard or it required a high level conversation with another executive.  To the staff, it seemed minor.  Regardless of how the message was delivered, what they heard is that they need to follow the standard way of doing business.

Three Key Actions for I.T. Leaders to Begin the Journey Toward True Innovation
​

1. For key individuals in I.T., carve out some portion of their time to work on innovation.  The key individuals do not need to have strong technical understanding in any area.  Be very purposeful in choosing these individuals by creating a cross functional group with a very diverse skillset.  In addition, look for people that are comfortable talking through concepts that may or may not ever be implemented.  It is important to ensure that you don’t choose people that get mired down in the details.
2. Link I.T. initiatives that require an innovative solution to corporate strategy and objectives.  Focusing IT innovation efforts in this area will open up possibilities for significant improvements to the overall organization.  It is also a great opportunity to work with business partners on creating an innovative shared solution which incorporates both technology and business process.
3. Initially, use an outside facilitator to work with the team on the innovation process.  If I.T. leadership has never truly focused on innovation in the past, the team is going to be uncomfortable and unprepared.  Invest in an outside facilitator to help both leadership and the team make the necessary adjustments.  The facilitator should eventually be tasked with creating a training plan for 2-3 key staff members so I.T. can build the facilitation capability in house.

Take steps to create true innovation within I.T. and for the broader organization.  While there is an initial investment, the return will be well worth it.

---

Don’t miss our upcoming blog article on innovation with IT service management.  It is time to break away from the status quo when adopting best practices.  Join our mailing list today!

---

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, process, and culture change to improve IT efficiency, increase effectiveness, and optimize costs. For more information, phone 520-591-2427 or email us at info@adoptitsm.com.