A recent study by the Chartered Management Institute on the role of innovation in recovery showed commitment from senior managers but also realism about the challenges ahead.  

The report found that the critical success factors for promoting and utilising ideas was to have an innovation culture, being able to model managers who themselves innovated and to have idea champions.  The characteristics of those who were innovative were: having openness to ideas, liked problem solving and had a personal drive and motivation.  The downside was that organisations found they did not have enough resources to promote innovation or capitalise on ideas. There was insufficient talent for innovation and those who were, needed to focus on the practical side of things, should be able to plan better and, unsurprisingly given the previous two, had difficulty in remaining motivated.

There is a fundamental issue with this in that none really address the issue of mindset.  There is a sense that innovators are a rare breed and that they must be corralled within teams to get the best from their progeny.  Yes, there are those who find it easier to innovate than others and they are the ones that relish change.  We can probably all identify those who actively seek change but do you know who within your workforce quietly relishes it?  Metaprogrammes can unlock that type of information.

Similarly we can all be innovative when we dispel the barriers and limiting beliefs that we’ve placed upon ourselves.  The use of NLP techniques can identify and deal with these and other factors which limit creativity, acceptance of change, promotion of curiosity and delight in the new.    Innovation doesn’t depend on massive budgets, or project teams or new products.  It depends on the individual, on their mind set and, by extension, the mindset of the individuals’ collective.

Download the report (PDF 993KB)