The Role of HR in Driving Cultural Transformation

HR teams can help find great employees capable of being an innovative force

Research shows that 59% of company executives aren’t sure they have the right people with the right skills needed to deliver high-quality innovation. HR teams are responsible for attracting top talent, which will ultimately build a team capable of producing great results. Given the importance of corporate innovation for the overall company culture, a focus on candidates that have the mindset, the skills and the personality traits to thrive as intrapreneurs is advised.

It’s equally important to show that the organization is one that engages people in all age groups, hierarchy levels, and backgrounds while simultaneously highlighting the opportunity for growth. This makes the company a far more attractive proposition for top talent at all levels of the company. In turn, this can support company-wide innovation.

HR teams build and maintain a thriving environment

As an HR manager, your influence on maintaining a positive working environment is unrivaled. A good HR team will cultivate a culture where employees feel psychologically safe when working on innovations while simultaneously feeling comfortable with their colleagues. Happy employees are statistically shown to be 13% more productive. Supporting individual and collective positivity in the workplace will translate to improved innovation efforts. 

Meanwhile, experts at Forbes explain that “creativity requires energy, peace of mind, and perspective”. As well as developing better human connections, organizations should look to innovation programs. It gives employees the flexibility to work on their ideas when creativity strikes while instant feedback and collaborations will progress the ideas. 

HR teams and innovation programs keep employees engaged

In addition to feeling supported by the company, employees need to be mentally engaged. The KICKBOX innovation program supports this by providing opportunities to experience personal growth underpinned by experiential learning. Up to 84% of millennials feel burnout at work, but stimulation and engagement significantly reduce this. HR plays a valuable role in managing situations to maintain the desired atmosphere.

Furthermore, HR plays a key role in ensuring that employees have a clear understanding of the organization’s goals for innovation. In turn, this promotes a far higher success rate of ideas. For example, Wohntraum’s vision was to end social inequality in home ownership. Without contextuality, employees will present ideas that simply won’t work for the business. 

HR teams can use innovation programs to boost empowerment

All employees at all levels of the business want to feel valued and know that they have a voice. In fact, a lack of appreciation is cited as a reason for quitting by 79% of employees. Innovation programs allow employees to work on their ideas with autonomy and without the burden of seeking continued permission from their superiors. At the same time, their input will be recorded and rewarded, even when they don’t submit the final piece.

In turn, this enables employees to feel comfortable asking for help from the collective knowledge, both internally  and externally, while simultaneously being able to support others. It empowers them by allowing them to know they’ve made a difference, individually and as part of something bigger.