Reward employees with time to think, while providing them with the structure they need.  

 Thank Soren Kaplan for this great article on creating a culture of innovation...

• Be Intentional With Your Innovation Intent

• Create a structure for unstructured time

• Step-In, Then Step Back

• Measure What’s Meaningful

• Give "Worthless" Rewards

• Get Symbolic!

Every organization is designed to get the results it gets. Poor performance comes from a poorly designed organization. Superior results emerge when strategies, business models, structure, processes, technologies, tools, and reward systems fire on all cylinders in symphonic unison.Savvy leaders shape the culture of their company to drive innovation. They know that it’s culture--the values, norms, unconscious messages, and subtle behaviors of leaders and employees--that often limits performance. These invisible forces are responsible for the fact that 70% of all organizational change efforts fail. The trick? Design the interplay between the company’s explicit strategies with the ways people actually relate to one another and to the organization ...Link To Whole Article 

 No Rubber Stamps:

Every company’s culture is inherently different. So when you’re cultivating innovation, you’re cultivating a unique system. Which means you have to be thoughtful about your approach. Whatever you do, it should align with the values of the company and with the company’s goals. And in each case, you have to make it easy and rewarding for the people whose roles and dynamics influence the very innovation culture you’re trying to cultivate.Share your story of  ways you have created a culture of innovation !Look forward to hearing from you.

Best Barbara