Do you work in an innovative organization? 

Last week a couple of our associates learned all about innovation at the  first annual TEDx conference in Youngstown, Ohio. TEDx is an independently organized event based on the TED conference that brings together groups of individuals to deliver lectures on a chosen topic. TEDx Youngstown featured a panel of 18 local thought leaders who shared some compelling ideas about innovation.

Here are some key takeaways from TEDx Youngstown that any organization can use to become more innovative!

Respect the power of teams

Very few innovators show up as solo acts

-Tony DeAscentis

Don’t lose track of the fact that innovation isn’t a one-person job. Teams are a critical part of innovation. Take advantage of them.

In his talk, Tony DeAscentis from the Youngstown business incubator dispelled the myth of the “lone innovator”. Yes, there are the Steve Jobs or Bill Gates of the world, who seem to single-handedly change history, but even these master innovators had impressive supporting casts.

Remember that Size Matters… but not in the way you’d think

Innovation usually happens with small teams, off the beaten path

-Rob Gorham

Small teams, argued Rob Gorham, have a distinct advantage in terms of innovation over large ones.  Gorham, deputy director at America Makes, is in one of the most innovative fields in the world right now: 3D Printing.

Small teams aren’t held back by organizational momentum, they can change rapidly and apply new ideas quickly. Look around your organization, has it become unwieldy?  Are there ways to organize into smaller teams?

Slowly but Continuously become more Innovative over Time

People tend to think innovative organizations were always that way. They weren’t. Organizations can work to become better at fostering an atmosphere of innovation.

Small wins every day matter, that is the discipline of organizational innovation

-col. Al Faber

Colonel Al Faber  made a great point about becoming an innovative organization. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s important to recognize the value of getting a little bit better every single day.

Pay Attention to your Innovation Strategy

Faber also laid out some questions  that companies should be asking themselves in regards to their innovation strategy. Can your organization answer these questions?

1. Is there a leadership strategy?
2. How do you engage your customers to identify opportunities for innovation?
3. How do you collect and integrate information in tracking daily operations
4. How do you manage innovation processes?
5. How do you develop and engage workforce innovation?

Look at the Familiar with a Fresh Perspective

One theme that several speakers touched on was the ideas of being open to new ideas and continually learning, especially from sources you wouldn’t normally think of.

Brian Sinchak, a local high-school president, advocated that the innovation our education system needs is the Passport. Traveling to a foreign country in his formative years was a major influence on his life, and Sinchak though exposing young people to different cultures, and ideas can have a drastic affect on learning.

What does a Buddhist monk and Congressman Tim Ryan have in common?  They are both passionate about mindfullness! Ryan’s speech about bringing mindfullness to the masses and simply practicing living in the moment is a powerful idea. Ryan is so passionate about this practice to the Western world that he wrote a book about it !

Finally, Jeff Hoffman , self described serial entrepreneur and founder of priceline.com, adamantly talked about a daily habit he labels idea sponging,   learning about something new every day even if it doesn’t seem relevant.

Hoffman also talked about the value of looking at the world with a fresh perspective.

The world’s most innovative people look at the world with a sense of child-like wonder

Jeff Hoffman

Try new ideas, find new sources of information, look in the least likely of places. Innovation is a skill that your organization can get better at through practice!