Pfeil Innovation Center is bringing innovation culture to all businesses and organizations, creating a culture that's designed to let employees blaze trails and create great things. One of the most significant innovation tools Pfeil brings to organizations and businesses are InnoVisits.
Over the last 12 years, Pfeil Innovation Center team has made Inno-Visits to companies who have already demonstrated strong traits when it comes to creating an innovation culture in the workplace, such as Procter & Gamble, John Deere, Task Force Tips and The Hershey Company. The goal is to learn, share and benchmark what new innovation processes and techniques are working well at that organization. Then bring those insights back to the Pfeil Center and Beacon Health System and see what might be learned and adapted into their own organization.
The best part about this is that InnoVisits are not limited to only major businesses, but to any organization with a solid track record of Innovation and has a regular flow of innovative products and services. Seeing an innovation culture in action and having the opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t work for a particular organization can be invaluable in moving your own innovation culture forward.
When planning an InnoVisit, it is best to begin with companies where you may already have a relationship, such as those in your supplier base. Think of Innovative Companies, Research Universities, and Venture Capitalists to visit. Pfeil suggests avoiding the sales department of any organization since you are more interested in learning than buying at this point.
It is also important to be clear from the beginning regarding the purpose of your visit. Let everyone know that your main objective is to learn about innovation and the reason you chose their company to visit.
When it comes time to decide which members participate in an InnoVisit it is always best to select a senior leader to make the initial contact with the business or organization you wish to visit. Once the visit has been confirmed, a small group of five to six passionate leaders of all levels should be the ones to attend the visit. This group should include employees, board members, a newer member from senior management, and anyone from the organization you want to reward or recognize.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when conducting an InnoVisit; keep your ego at the door. Despite your company's or organization's successes, an InnoVisit is not the time to talk about them. This is an opportunity designed to learn from others. By avoiding big egos, having a willingness to explore uncharted territory and not be intimidated by your lack of knowledge, you have now eliminated some of the largest barriers to experiencing an effective InnoVisit.
Once the initial barriers are removed, it's time for questions, lots of them. The old phrase of "don't be afraid to ask questions" has never been more appropriate as visitors are encouraged to ask a ton of questions. Starting with general questions, and then moving on to more clarifying ones, it's important to remember that these visits are akin to a sponge in water, ask plenty of questions and be prepared to soak up plenty of answers.
Once the visit is complete, showing appreciation for their time is an important final step for all InnoVisits. A gracious gesture to keep in mind is to bring a gift for your visit. A signature item from your business or organization is a special, yet effective way to show your thankfulness for their willingness to share their learning and thoughts with your team. The simple act of a handwritten thank you note once you return lets them know your appreciation for taking the time to show off how an innovation culture has helped to shape their business in a positive way. In your note, be willing to share what you learned from the visit and give an indication of what you felt was most impressive and beneficial to your organization.
The best ideas are the ones shared, absorbed and passed on to all members of an organization. This allows them to take the freedom and effectiveness of an innovation culture and apply it to their everyday job to create a positive and forward thinking environment. An InnoVisit is a perfect way to jumpstart your innovation culture and to let others witness first hand the effectiveness of innovation in the workplace.
To find out more about conducting and InnoVisit, be sure to visit Pfeil's website at http://wakeupandsmelltheinnovation.com/