4 Characteristics of a Culture of Innovation

Innovation culture is crucial to a company's success, but difficult to define. Hutch Carpenter explains that innovation is defined by consistent behaviors, not aspirational statements or one-off actions. He breaks innovation culture down into four key characteristics: leadership, awareness, employee engagement, and innovation governance. Within those characteristics, 25 behaviors drive innovation success. Companies need strong leadership, clarity of purpose, commitment to initiatives, and openness to diverse opinions to foster innovation. Aware employees know about the process and the importance of their role. Employee engagement is crucial because innovation is a people-driven effort. Finally, innovation governance is the process of turning ideas into action. Successful companies approach innovation as a broader process that spans from ideation to development. Companies need to ensure innovation doesn't fall through the gaps and create bases for analyzing performance to identify areas of improvement.