Guidelines to motivate people through innovation

1. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor

2. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
Remembering Frank Maguire and considering to
Bob Nelson, Ph.D.
I remember a workshop in Barcelona with Frank Maguire, co-founder of Also is subjected to greater control with a poor communication, no just
Fedex and motivational speaker, in which emphasized us the importance of support of its leaders and be hoping for assuming more work. It coexists in a
always bear in mind the ROI of the employee. Three pillars on which working environment which reduces their morale, their self-esteem, their
focuses the trust and involvement of the employee with the company: enjoy motivation, their confidence and its involvement, and where their only
the recognition, have opportunities and receive information to have motivation is the consolation of thinking that they have a job.
prospects for the future.
Facing an uncertain panorama, there are many circumstances that as
Give future prospects in difficult times becomes something very difficult directors, managers or team leaders we can’t control but if there are others
when you have to cope with uncertainty and one is subject to implement that we can impose conditions specifically to provide a positive impact on the
budget cuts, to exercise a strict control of costs and to proceed with workplace of our teams, but we must understand that work as before it will
dismissals of personnel. not be possible in the short term.
It is an era in which personnel is immersed in the constant negativity Taking the six guidelines that suggests Bob Nelson, Ph.D., in his book
caused by the economic situation, political decisions, media information, "Keeping up in a down economy“, to retrieve the involvement, motivation,
rumors of the sector and the organization. It fears for their jobs, productivity of personnel in difficult times, we propose its application
professional stability, for his future and feels unsafe, with anxiety, fear and incorporating innovation as motivating factor.
without ability to cope with circumstances that are presented.

3. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
1. Create a clear and compelling direction.
Building with our professional teams corporate vectors of innovation
where focus ideas and proposals.
It is necessary to search and create a focus, a purpose, a reason to move Through this process, we will provide to our teams spaces of open dialogue
forward. A vision that gives rise to objectives and clear expectations. and participation, a sense of direction, control, ownership, and membership.
We will ensure that each individual works knowing what is needed, knowing
For this purpose, we must to work with our professional teams exploring the way to overcome the difficult times and understanding what is expected
our environment, our competitive context; Defining on what is most of them. It will provide clear, simple and relevant objectives involving all
important for our organization, what works and what doesn't; Identifying professionals.
what knowledge or key assets we have and how we can exploit them;
Looking at what trends are present and how affect or may affect us; We must to encourage our teams to think "out of the box", to devise and find
Contrasting the needs, conflicts and expectations of our customers and not new ways to carry out practices and processes, customer’s relationships,
customers; and building corporate innovation vectors, reference guidelines products and services development, that will allow to face the challenges
where to focus ideas and proposals that give rise to possible innovation and achieve the organization objectives.
projects.

4. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
2. Communicate in a direct, open and honest way
Using innovation as a two-way channel of communication, understanding,
dialogue and change.
In difficult times the tendency to not communicate or communicate poorly is the
usual norm. What just giving rise to speculation and rumors that, although some
of them may end up being an example of the potential of creativity and
imagination, have a highly destructive and critical nature.
Effective communication is one of the most important activities as executives,
and more in difficult times.
Innovation opens a channel of bidirectional communication, of dialog to collect,
draw and face up with open, direct and honest manner the current situation and
identify needs, critical points and challenges to resolve through the involvement,
cooperation and the participation of the talent that resides in the professional
team and around the organization environment.

5. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
3. Involve employees and encourage initiative
A simple message, clear and forceful...”we need your ideas”
Communicate better with employees is the first step to motivate them and With a simple message, clear and forceful as... "We need your ideas" ,
begin to recover their involvement. The new involvement will be obtained if may open the door for the involvement of employees through innovation.
they have the opportunity to express opinions, contribute with ideas and As says Gary Hamel, the guru in Management, “…the best idea does not
take decisions within its responsibility scope. have to come from steering".
Creating spaces and times to participate in innovation, where people can Is true that not all employees will participate in the innovation process, and
openly propose ideas about how to do more with less, how to improve the that the success of this process, which will have 'epidemiological'
experiences of customers, how to apply new techniques, such as improve character, will depend largely on the positive experiences of the first
current processes or create a new product, and where they can develop entrepreneurs, of those who feel committed, of which sees innovation as a
and implement their proposals, encouraging teamwork, interdisciplinary professional opportunity. But working and putting the media so these
collaboration and co-creation, not only will recover part of their involvement experiences occur, innovation will become an engine of change and a
and their commitment but also will enhance the sense of membership and driver to face these difficult times.
the capabilities of the organization to incorporate the value of diversity,
creativity and entrepreneurship.

6. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
4. Increase employee autonomy, flexibility and
support.
Incorporating and supporting entrepreneurial talent
Tough times often emphasize the micro-management, the strict control on In an effective way, if we give people in our teams the opportunity to
costs, tasks and people. Let's say that we apply cutback policies without participate in decision-making and outline ideas on which to work and study
combining them with policies of growth, which has just been causing greater about its potential, its viability, its impact and whether they are interesting, to
tension and greater discouragement. develop them as innovation projects, with our support, our collaboration and
others of the team or organization, we will increase their motivation, their
We need just the opposite, assign or reassign responsibilities, objectives and confidence and their involvement.
projects to the members of our teams and grant them autonomy, flexibility
and our support so that they can carry them. As managers, team leaders or, responsible we must be present, be
accessible and take time to listen, support, direct, tutelary, accompany the
Daniel H. Pink, lawyer, consultant and political advisor, in his book "Drive. enterprising people and their ideas.
The surprising truth about what motivates us“, points out that an important
part of motivation focuses on the autonomy, individual capacity to have the
freedom to decide how to carry out the objectives assigned, decide with
.
respect to the task, to the technique, time and equipment; the domain, the
desire to improve or refine something that matters; and in the personal
challenge, goals and causes being pursued.

7. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
5. Continuous focus on the growth and professional
development.
Innovation as the inspirational source of talent and creativity
It must be borne in mind that in hard times exists the tendency to cut training Innovation acts as inspiring factor, motivating that growth and
plans, precisely when innovate and develop the talent is more necessary. professional development. The opportunity and challenge of working in
the own professional context and reach to develop something new, new
We must know our team very well and identify who has the interest, capacity and knowledge, new techniques, new experiences, new services through
skills to take on new responsibilities and assignments. We must identify their understanding, observation, exploration and creativity not only motivates
concerns, ambitions and individual interests and link them to the needs, to the also leads to grow professionally.
objectives of the team and to the changing requirements of the organization.
We must invest in creativity. It is necessary to develop the talent in
We must encourage the development of their skills and their techniques. Offer creativity and new ways of thinking. Talent and creativity is what we will
professional development opportunities. Draw along with the members of the have to implement to deal with the current circumstances. Today the
team plans aimed at growth and professional development where the individual differential value resides in the people and creative teams.
objectives and goals of your organization converge.

8. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
6. Recognize and reward high performance.
It is in the more complex and more difficult moments when it comes to
devote more time to recognize and reward efforts and job well done.
Moments in which most feel immersed in uncertainty, with increased
workload and without recognition.
Opportunities for growth and professional development, involvement in
project, a public recognition, publication of papers, participation in
conferences and congresses, time to reconcile family and personal life, are
some of reward proposals more appreciated and more effective. Any
interpersonal and emotional recognition is as or more effective than the
financial incentives, although one a balanced combination of both is the
best option.
Invite to participate in an innovation project or to propose work plans or
ideas for dealing with the current situation, well can be motivating as signs
of recognition.
Design recognition and reward plans for the members of our teams that
propose and develop projects and initiatives that will help grow to our
organization, to which contribute to innovate.

9. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
Thinking about
Through an open and sincere dialogue with the members of our
professional team we can facilitate cope with difficult times. Sure that their
interpretation of the competitive context, their perspective of the
organization, their assessment of our products or services, relationships
and the needs of our customers, conflicts between areas or the efficiency
of our processes, gives us a different viewing angle that can lead us to
improve important aspects of our activity.
Giving them to know the situation and the need to promote innovation as a
way to face the current times and involving them in a process of
construction of a vector of innovation, we would provide them a vision of
direction and progress. Inviting them to participate in an open movement in
which as have the chance to make us arrive their ideas and be involved in
the development of their proposals, as contribute with their talent to the
progress of an innovation project, we encourage their autonomy, their
growth and professional development.
Probably with all this, we would clear up some of their concerns and we
would give them these future prospects. And with the corresponding
recognition of their contributions, we would achieve greater involvement, an
important impetus for the innovation and better results.

10. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
About the author
Xavier Baño is cofounder of the innovation firm bhantal, where he works as
entrepreneur, consultant and advisor in innovation. Actives processes of
change and promotes creativity, co-creation and the networking in the
development of organizations, driving innovation as open and participatory
process. He has held senior positions in various companies in the field of
strategy, technology and innovation. He has developed innovation projects in
different sectors and companies, both public and private.

11. Management of people in difficult times
Innovation as motivating factor
About bhantal
bhantal is an innovation firm. We help organizations to innovate in a
sustained way for growing.
We are a firm of innovation professional services that help to organizations to
organize, ignite and develop their potential and their capabilities to innovate in a
sustained way. We invigorate and accompany the innovation of services,
products, processes and models of business with a clear purpose, to make to
grow the results of our customers
Find us in www.bhantal.com or contact us through info@bhantal.com