BSBINN201A Contribute to workplace innovation

Identifying opportunities to do things better

 Identifying opportunities to do things better involves: Understanding your role in workplace innovation Identifying opportunities for improvement Gathering and reviewing information.

 Innovation is about improving the way we work. It might involve: creating new products, services or systems building on existing products, services or systems changing attitudes to our jobs, organisations or customers changing team structures developing new work teams.

 Innovation can help an organisation by: providing new and better products and services achieving a lower cost for existing products and services helping employees be more productive improving morale in the workplace increasing customer satisfaction.

 Innovation can also benefit organisations by helping them to: make the most of technology compete globally maintain and grow their business work smarter, not harder make workplaces more pleasant and productive provide a sense of ownership for employees.

  Employees at any level can contribute to innovation. Innovations may be small changes or major reorganisations.  If you have an idea for innovation, you should always: include others who need to know about it and need to be involved be able to show how it will help in your organisation follow any procedures for presenting new ideas accept that the final decision may not be yours implement changes only when you have received approval.

 Organisations may use different methods to encourage innovation, including: suggestion boxes team meetings workshops planning days training and development staff surveys competitions innovation-based reward practices

  Involving all relevant parties is an important part of helping innovative ideas succeed. Some of the people who may be involved in implementing change include: supervisors and team leaders work group colleagues other teams and team leaders the quality assurance manager or productivity manager the owner or manager of the organisation clients, sponsors and other interested parties.

 Seek a balance between innovative thinking and working on routine tasks.  This helps to meet deadlines and make achievements, but also allows time for improvement.

 Identifying opportunities to improve means being: observant curious a creative thinker experimental open to new ways of doing things.

 While you are doing your work, you may identify things that are frustrating or waste time.  Finding a way to eliminate this frustration is innovation.  Alternatively you may think of a way of making a task or process more relevant.

 Innovative ideas generally fall into one of these categories: Processes and procedures Work practices or services Changes in the physical environment Storage or maintenance procedures Team communication New technology New customer base Staff changes Job role changes

 Improving processes and procedures involves developing more efficient and beneficial ways to carry out tasks and duties such as: changing the order of activities reducing the number of steps required to achieve a particular result changing when different staff members perform the same activity performing similar activities together.

 Changing work practices or services relates to the way an organisation does business.  Innovation in work practices or services may include: changing how teams are made up adjusting opening hours increasing the range of services offered.

 Changing the physical environment may include: adjusting an office layout to be more open and inclusive changing the light or ventilation to be more comfortable becoming more environmentally friendly adjusting the floor plan of a display area to be more attractive to customers.

 Innovation in storage and maintenance procedures may involve: disposing of items that are no longer required changing where items are stored so that they are more accessible developing a system to monitor when items are no longer required developing a system for scheduling maintenance.

 Improving team communication can help save time or improve output.  Ways to improve team communication include: changing when team meetings are held using telecommunication to save transit time changing from paper communication to email or web-based communication.

 New technology often drives a change in work practices including: how information is sent to customers how staff communicate with each other how data is recorded and analysed.

 Attracting new customers is an important part of expanding the business. This may include: developing new marketing strategies researching gaps in the market producing adapted or new products analysing competitor products understanding competitor’s customer profiles changing outlets and distribution processes.

 Changes in technology often lead to staffing changes. Although some positions may be lost when technology is introduced, this creates openings for new employees.

 Organisations may need to change how they provide the same service to customers and employees. This may mean changing how they: provide information receive customer and employee requests process data communicate with customers and employees .

  There are many different ways to generate new ideas. Methods commonly used by organisations include: brainstorming mind mapping creative thinking.

  Brainstorming involves working individually or with a group to develop a list of ideas in a short time. Some common ‘rules’ for brainstorming include: Record all ideas as they are given. List as many ideas as possible. Don’t analyse or criticise ideas during the exercise. Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas. Build on previous ideas.

Set a time limit for the activity.

  Mind mapping is drawing a relationship between different ideas on a page. To ‘map’ a concept: Write a core word or phrase in the middle of a page.

Draw ‘arms’ from this core word or phrase.

Write a different aspect of the problem on each ‘arm’.

Create ‘arms’ from each aspect which suggest solutions to the problem.

 Creative thinking involves: exploring ideas generating possibilities looking for more than one answer lateral thinking.

 Having more than one idea to solve a problem is helpful because: not all ideas may be practical a short-term solution may be required while a permanent solution is developed more than one idea may need to be implemented a solution may not be successful.

 Before implementing a change, it is helpful to understand the reasons for the current situation.  You should also understand: the expected outcomes and whether the changed process will deliver the same outcomes whether the current processes and situations are adequate for current needs the resources required to implement the change and whether they are available any barriers to implementing the change the possible effect of the change on interested parties.

  It is helpful to research an idea before suggesting it. Sources of information may include: customers and employees the Internet or intranet organisational documents industry sources suppliers’ catalogues sales representatives media.

 Many problems are similar across departments in an organisation or may be experienced by a range of organisations.  Research these possibilities before designing a new solution so that you can benefit from their experience.

 Use media or internal notes to help generate improvement ideas. Even a story about an unrelated industry can help trigger an idea to improve processes, products or services in your organisation.

 Once you have clarified your idea, seek feedback from colleagues, supervisors or customers as appropriate.  You could do this in conversation, at a meeting, or by email.

 If your idea requires any purchases, seek a range of quotes before proceeding further. This will help indicate whether the idea is feasible or within budgetary restrictions.

 After compiling your research, review it for: currency relevance suitability likelihood of achieving change.

 A short written proposal helps present an idea to your supervisor or manager.  This document should include: the reasons for change possible solutions supporting information recommendations.

Developing ideas with others

 Developing your ideas with others involves: identifying people to provide input approaching people seeking feedback following up ideas.

 Developing innovative ideas is a collaborative activity.  Working as a team can help provide input, feedback and expertise for identifying and implementing innovative ideas.

  When working as a team, individuals take on different roles. These roles may not always be the same as their roles within the organisation.

 Your colleagues in the same work area will have a direct interest in your idea.  They may be able to provide suggestions or identify different problems and issues.

 Your supervisor or manager can provide an organisational perspective and offer advice on how to implement ideas.

 You may need technical support or expertise to implement your idea.  Technicians may be from other areas in the organisation, or external personnel. If so, take care when discussing confidential information.

 A challenger is someone who helps trial the idea, asks difficult questions and provides relevant feedback.  This person can help identify problems in advance, which makes the implementation more likely to succeed.

 A promoter is someone who will actively promote or champion your idea within the workplace. This may be a mentor, buddy or your supervisor.

 Resourcers provide practical information about how an idea can be implemented and about the availability and cost of the necessary resources.

 A financier is the person who approves the budget to implement your idea.  This might be a supervisor, an office accountant or financial controller.

 There are many ways to communicate with people about an innovative idea. Which method you choose depends on who you are communicating with and organisational protocols.  Communication methods include: informal discussions team meetings telephone calls email report sheets planning sessions.

 Organisational protocols are the standard or accepted ways of carrying out tasks, making decisions and implementing changes in a particular organisation or team.

  Be strategic when presenting an innovative idea. If you need someone’s support, choose a time when the person is: not under stress from a deadline able to focus on your request relaxed and open to new ideas.

 Adjust your communication style to suit the person you are addressing. Most organisations will follow the following formality levels: High: Corporate level such as Managing Director.

High-medium: Senior level such as senior manager, chief accountant. Medium: Specialist roles such as personal assistant or supply officer.

Medium-low: Division or business unit level such as manager or team leader.

Low: Team or individual level such as secretary or receptionist.

 Seek feedback from others in your organisation to determine whether your idea has merit.  Some of the different ways you may gather feedback include: talking to colleagues and supervisors and asking questions brainstorming using ‘what ifs’.

 Using ‘what ifs’ means putting the words ‘what if’ in front of your idea and considering what consequences and repercussions there may be. This could be done on your own, with an interested person or as a group activity.

 After receiving and considering feedback, you may need to revise your idea.  Create new possibilities by: thinking through the idea again incorporating the information you have received incorporating other ideas and feedback testing modified or new ideas with others.

 You should document feedback to: keep track of the historical development of an idea acknowledge and value others’ time and effort save time by not repeating steps or having people re-raise issues ensure the best possible outcome provide evidence of following all necessary steps.

 Document feedback by: producing a key points summary completing a SWOT analysis table creating a table showing ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of the idea .

 A SWOT analysis examines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an idea.  Try to align strengths with opportunities and be wary of weaknesses that align with existing threats.

  Review feedback to help modify your idea. Depending on the feedback you may need to: make minor modifications and improvements discard the idea in favour of another reconsider the problem to develop a new idea.

 Applying a rating system to ideas helps make decisions. A rating scale may include the following criteria: High probability of success as originally stated Probability of success after some changes Idea needs further work in order to determine success level Low probability of success – major changes needed or new ideas Idea unlikely to succeed – new idea(s) needed.

Addressing the practicalities of change

 Addressing the practicalities of change involves: implementing routine changes identifying issues and processes for implementing ideas presenting ideas and suggestions.

 Implementing change generally occurs in stages: Identify a problem Investigate appropriate action Make decisions about how to implement change Obtain approval to implement change Make the change Evaluate the change

 When discussing change, it is helpful to consider whether you are in ‘action’ or ‘decision’ mode. This affects the information you will provide to others. Action mode: when you are undertaking activities related to your idea, provide just enough information so that others can help you.

Decision mode: when you are briefing others so that they can make a decision about an idea, provide all relevant information in usable format to support decision-making.

 Routine changes relate to your role and others with whom you work closely. They generally do not require approval or a lot of resources and may include: changing when office supplies are collected transferring data to a different software package consolidating when supervisors receive material to approve changing the time of a lunch break.

 Some routine changes may still require management approval, such as: implementing new reporting procedures re-allocating minor tasks among team members changing systems access.

 When preparing to implement a routine change, consider: the timing of the change and its impact on workload how to inform others of the change.

 When planning and implementing major change that affects a number of others, there are several issues to consider: approvals required relationship of the idea to organisational priorities cost of implementation logistics communication strategy personalities and philosophies of others internal politics contingencies.

 Secure approval to implement an idea in writing before proceeding. Depending on the budget, you may need several levels of approval, so allow time to secure these.  Consider the impact of implementing the change on the workplace. Take note of any major deadlines or peak work periods and avoid implementing your change at this time.  Research any cheaper alternatives for the resources required to implement change. Consider the cost to the organisation of any ‘down time’ required to implement the change.

 Some implementations need to occur in a certain sequence for them to be efficient and successful. Use a flow chart or a run sheet to plan these implementations.  Develop a communication strategy for everyone who may be affected by a change. This may include employees, clients, suppliers or members of the public. Planning communication in advance helps ensure it is timely and reduces costs.

  When planning an implementation, consider how different people might react to the change and make allowances. This will help the implementation run more smoothly and help all employees accept the change. Understanding the organisation’s culture and politics may help plan an implementation. This may involve scheduling implementation activities around key events or organising them in a way that is consistent with organisational culture.

 Contingencies are the things that go wrong during an implementation, despite good planning.  Research what happened in a similar implementation to understand what may go wrong. This will allow you to develop a contingency plan for the implementation.

 When presenting ideas and suggestions, choose the most appropriate method for your audience, based on the level of formality required, the venue, and the time available.  This may include: verbal presentation written presentation presentation using technology.

 Verbal presentations may be with individuals, such as a supervisor, or groups, such as your team or a focus group.  Verbal meetings are generally used for: presentations to well-known people simple information that can be quickly presented presentations that do not require a record.

 Written presentations can include reports, memos, emails or designated forms.  Written presentations are generally used to: allow participants to read the presentation in their own time present complex information which requires supporting data provide a record of the presentation.

 Presentations using technology may include PowerPoint presentations, video conferencing or web-based interactive programs and blogs.  They can be expensive and time-consuming, but can be impressive and professional. They are used to: communicate with audiences in a remote location create an extra impact provide a written record with a verbal support.

 When presenting ideas, structure the presentation clearly to help the audience follow along.  Use headings and clear sections such as: the problem and reason for change the issues the solution discarded solutions problems during the change side-effects of the change cost of implementing the change.