One thing is clear to us all by now: innovation is no coincidence. Certain prerequisites are needed to enable innovation in companies. On the one hand, these can be created by the company itself and should take the form of a visible culture that encourages risk-taking, the testing of new ideas and learning. A healthy failure culture, meaningful further training and open, transparent corporate communication with flat hierarchies are just some of the keywords here, but I don’t want to go into any more detail in this article.
In this article, I would like to focus on people. Because in addition to the prerequisites provided by the company, you also need people who have the right qualities to promote innovation. And finding (or recognizing) these is no easy task.
Finding innovative people is not easy
People who enable innovation in a company through their characteristics and attitude are absolutely valuable and not so easy to find. We notice this simply because companies often ask us: “How do I find the right people to drive innovation forward?” There is no simple answer to this question, because a successful innovation team is characterized above all by its innovative mindset. And mindset is often a difficult concept to grasp. I have described an approximate definition of an innovative mindset in this article. But even here it is clear that an innovative mindset is a characteristic that is difficult to specify. How can I tell, for example, that someone is fundamentally open to new things? After all, it is not written on people’s foreheads and companies often have to rely on the experience of managers, who are best placed to judge this from working with employees. But couldn’t this be more concrete? I think: yes, you can.
Innovative mindset in concrete terms
We often answer the question of how innovative people can be recognized with the tool “Flickschuster”. It is a story about a cobbler who has to face ever new and more demanding challenges, overcomes them and is ultimately appointed advisor to the king. It is a wonderful tool for reflecting with a team on innovation capability and illustrating why, in the best-case scenario, we will find more cobblers in the company. What’s more, the story of the cobbler gives us a much better idea of the qualities we should look for in employees.
But from my point of view, it can also be a little more specific. The more I get to grips with the topic of mindset, the more I realize: There is more innovative mindset in all of us than we think. This kind of mindset manifests itself from time to time in very specific situations and one situation in particular caught my eye: IKEA shopping. You read that correctly. To be more precise, the situation that I repeatedly encounter in an IKEA parking lot. I therefore like to talk about “IKEA parking lot optimism”.
What is the “IKEA parking lot optimism”?
If you’ve ever bought some new furniture from IKEA yourself, you may be familiar with this phenomenon. Loading a Billy shelf or a Karlstad couch into a car is a real challenge. Despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation, there are always people who try anyway – and, to my own amazement, often succeed. They keep their optimism, don’t let up, try out different strategies and use all available resources. This unshakeable perseverance and firm belief in a solution are obviously core components of these people’s mindsets. For me, the “IKEA parking lot optimism” illustrates a particular characteristic of the mindset in an innovation team and is of crucial importance.
Such a fundamentally optimistic attitude enables the team members to think outside the box and explore new avenues in order to find creative solutions to complex problems. Not giving up is the motto. It encourages them to take risks, experiment and learn (sometimes directly) from failures. It gives them the confidence that they can overcome obstacles and achieve their goals, no matter how unattainable they may seem.
Now the question arises: isn’t that the same as resilience? In my view, there is a small but subtle difference here.
How does optimism differ from resilience?
Optimism and resilience are both essential characteristics of a successful innovation team, but I think they differ in their nuances. Optimism, as expressed in “IKEA Parking Lot Optimism”, is the belief that positive outcomes can be achieved, regardless of the challenges at hand. It is the ability to see the positive in every situation and to believe in the possibility of a successful solution.
Resilience, on the other hand, is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and keep going despite difficulties. It is the ability to persevere in the face of failure and make the necessary adjustments to stay on course.
Resilience is therefore the reaction to a situation, so to speak, whereas optimism is a fundamental attitude “from the outset” and therefore covers a much broader spectrum. With optimism, we simply believe in our project.
“Companies implement the ideas we believe in”
“In companies, the ideas we believe in are implemented,” my colleague Benno once said. This quote sums up the “IKEA parking lot optimism” in a nutshell. Innovation is basically about believing in the feasibility of an idea, no matter how challenging it may seem at first glance. It’s about not giving up, trying out different approaches and using the necessary resources to achieve the goal. In other words, it’s about being and remaining fundamentally optimistic.
Eyes open for the IKEA optimists of this world
In my opinion, it is crucial to look for people who embody the “IKEA parking lot optimism” mindset in order to promote innovation in a company. Such employees are often the driving force behind creative ideas and new approaches. They are willing to take risks, leave the beaten track and make the seemingly impossible possible.
They are also the ones who see challenges not as obstacles, but as opportunities. They are also often the resilient ones who do not give up in the face of setbacks, but find solutions. They are the ones who are constantly looking for improvements, exploring new paths and driving the company forward.
Such employees can play a crucial role in promoting a culture of innovation (often enough we have already seen this in practice). They can help create an atmosphere of creativity and experimentation. They can inspire and encourage others to contribute their own ideas and take risks. And so these people are the ideal complement to the conditions created by the company itself for a successful culture of innovation.
It is therefore worth looking out for such employees and placing them in key positions where they can make full use of their skills and mindset. With the right team and the right mindset, any company can increase its capacity for innovation and achieve its goals.
Optimism is the key
The “IKEA parking lot optimism” is a powerful symbol for the mindset needed for a successful innovation team. It’s about believing in the potential of ideas, having the willingness to try them out and develop them further, and maintaining a positive attitude even when the going gets tough. It’s about believing in the seemingly impossible and being willing to try. It is this combination of optimism and resilience that helps an innovation team to be successful, resilient and future-proof.
So: the next time you ask yourself how you recognize innovative people, ask your employees about their last visit to IKEA. It’s guaranteed to be remembered.
