How to Develop Innovation Skills in Your Workforce
Innovation is crucial for organizational success. According to a LinkedIn article, around 86% of CEOs believe that innovation is one of the primary drivers of growth. Yet, only 6% are happy with their own or their team’s innovation performance.
Why? While innovation is seen as an important business aspect, curating and implementing innovative strategies isn't anyone’s cup of tea.
Companies often fail to bridge the gap between their innovative approach and overall business strategy. Most importantly, they fail to recognize the need to develop key innovation skills to put these strategies to work.
If you want to develop your or your team’s innovation skills, this article is for you. Read to find what skills you need to have and how to polish them to become more innovative in work and life.
What Are Innovation Skills?
A 2023 LinkedIn report rates innovation skills as one of the top skills companies look for in their workforce. These skills are defined as the ability to generate and implement new ideas or solutions. In rapidly evolving industries, innovation skills are crucial for keeping pace with the fast-growing developments.
Some key innovation skills are:
Creative Thinking
A World Economic Forum report ranks creative thinking as one of the top five skills required in 2025. Creative thinking is the ability to think outside the box, challenge traditions, and come up with innovative ideas.
Here is an example. LEGO was once on the brink of bankruptcy when its team’s creative thinking helped revitalize the business with innovative strategies, such as LEGO Ideas. The platform enabled fans to submit and vote for their favorite designs, allowing them to create new products.
Problem-Solving
This skill allows you to analyze a problem and then find effective, sometimes unconventional, solutions.
A person’s strong problem-solving ability can help a company in various financial and strategic situations. This is why, as mentioned in the PwC's 27th Annual Global CEO Survey, 77% of CEOs believe the ability to solve complex problems is essential for business growth.
Continuous Learning and Curiosity
Curiosity may kill the cat, but it keeps the workforce alive. According to a survey, 72% of managers believe that curiosity is a valuable innovation skill. Workers who ask frequent questions and remain curious tend to generate new ideas and solutions.
This skill also gives rise to continuous learning that allows individuals to explore new areas.
Collaboration and Communication
Innovation is meaningless and ineffective without collaboration. According to a McKinsey study, companies that encourage collaboration and diversity are 35% more likely to outperform their counterparts.
Well-known companies like Pixar work well across teams to share and then build upon others' ideas. They meet up in ‘braintrust' meetings to refine movie ideas through collaboration.
Strategic Thinking and Clear Vision
A major attribute of innovation skills is strategic thinking and a clear vision.
Why do you think that companies with innovative leaders enhance business growth by 1.5 times? That's because they have a clear vision and an ability to think strategically.
Elon Musk’s strong and straightforward vision of sustainable transportation gave birth to Tesla, a company ranked as the 11th most valuable in the world.
5 Ways to Develop Top Innovation Skills
Want to innovate new ideas and unique solutions? Here is how you can develop your innovation skills to achieve just that and more. However, know that it may take time, consistency, and patience to develop these attributes.
Cultivate a Culture of Curiosity
To polish your innovation skills, stay curious about things beyond your job role.
You can practice this by reading across disciplines such as science and art. You must also explore history to learn about innovative individuals and what they did to gain a competitive edge.
Ask ‘why’ as many times as you can when you encounter a problem at work.
Keep a diary to pen down your observations, ideas, and solutions. Writing down things that pique your curiosity helps create strong strategies.
Collaborate With a Diverse Network
Innovation skills flourish in a changing and diverse environment. Exposure to diverse cultures leads to creative thinking and powerful ideas.
But how to collaborate? Here are some tips.
Be sure to attend regular meetups and webinars to connect with professionals from diverse industries.
Book a spot in places like co-working spaces and innovation hubs to find like-minded individuals.
Connect with people from your own company, but from different departments. You can approach them on lunch breaks or after work hours to share ideas and enhance learning.
Practice Problem-Solving on a Daily Basis
To enhance your skills, fall in love with the problem rather than its solution. Focus on understanding the real issue.
Be proactive and tackle real problems in your community and work. Consider this an essential daily practice to enhance your thinking abilities and ultimately develop innovative skills.
Take Out Time for Improving Innovation Skills and Creating New Ideas
Do you know that Google allows all its employees to spend 20% of their time on passion projects? Gmail is one of the products that was born out of this policy.
If you want to develop your innovation skills to create, set aside some creative hours from your work schedule. During this period, avoid multitasking and focus on some deep work.
You can choose to take as many breaks as you want. Let creativity flow naturally!
Experiment, Take Risk, and Document
Develop your innovation skills by taking much-needed risks. However, ensure that all your risks are calculated and manageable to start with.
If you face failure, document all the things you have learned in the process and ways to avoid making similar mistakes. You can also try journaling apps to reflect on your risks, failures, and various findings.
Wrapping Up
Innovation is a skill that can be developed by everyone. Contrary to common belief, it isn't reserved for tech founders, scientists, or artists. In a world where the future is automated by AI, innovation skills are considered highly valuable.
To develop your innovation skills, practice mindset shifts, proactively collaborate, and stay curious. Check out Sheri Jacobs’ talks on innovation and change leadership to get started!
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