We can’t sustain a culture of innovation, but need to. What should we do?

Many CEOs find it difficult to initiate or sustain a culture of innovation within their organizations. Yet whether you’re competing with companies like IBM, Google, and Microsoft or much smaller start-ups, to remain competitive, organizations of all sizes must maintain innovation as a way of life.

If you’re struggling, consider the following five things to maintain creativity and innovation at the heart of your business’ operations.

Allow (and even encourage) Failure

Cutting-edge ideas come from investigating unknown territories. Innovative organizations understand that failure will happen and is often the path to success. Consider these failures from top innovative organizations — Apple’s MobileMe, Google Glass, and Amazon’s Fire Phone. Make it safe to try and celebrate failures, not just successes.

Combine Experimentation with Accountability

Companies that embrace failure accept it and learn from it. However, accountability is emphasized throughout the organization, to ensure experimental efforts align with the firm’s objectives, vital areas of focus, main competences, and obligations to investors. These organizations also provide their employees with full discretion to perform their work within these established parameters.

Data and analytic professionals can be important partners throughout the company, to establish test criteria, ensure accurate metrics and interpret the data collected.

Exhibit an Open Hierarchy

Companies building and supporting a culture of innovation leave doors open throughout their hierarchy. CEOs and senior managers at all levels encourage their reports to approach them with new ideas. They also provide supporting data-focused professionals to augment these innovative ideas, and demonstrate value to various stakeholders in a statistically meaningful way.

Build External Partnerships

Most companies with an influential culture of innovation understand that connections stretch beyond the walls of their organization. They know that their key partnerships allow for the integration of external teams with their existing internal team of innovators. This might mean a temporary subject matter expert, someone with a specific expertise, a vendor or leadership coaching being introduced to the core team or broader organization.

Acquire the Best Talent

No company can have a habit of innovation without exceptional talent. Successful organizations identify, recruit, and retain qualified data and analytics professionals to maintain and support an innovative culture. These professionals desire to solve problems, forge improvements, and apply their skill sets to any problem. Bringing in outside talent also gives insight into best practices employed in other organizations, which can help keep your company competitive.

How Building a Relationship with a Talent Partner Specializing in Data and Analytics Professionals Can Help Sustain a Culture of Innovation

Finding the best talent to maintain an innovative operating model can be a challenge. Many data professionals migrate to project-based or freelance work because of the flexibility it gives them. But finding qualified, let alone innovative data scientists, is challenging.

However, by creating a relationship with a partner specializing in data and analytics professionals, you will gain the expertise you need to cultivate innovation within your company and be confident that the candidates you partner with have the competencies you require.

Chisel Analytics can find the right data science or other specialized talent to help you sustain your company’s culture of innovation. Chisel vets top talent with our proprietary skill assessments across 6 key elements to ensure you hire the most qualified analyst for your critical needs – from project-based needs to full-time roles. We ensure that the addition is seamless, giving your company the efficiency and reliability you need from your workforce.