Recent research on companies that are among the most successful
innovators points to one common denominator -- the right culture.
To probe the relationship between innovation and culture, the
Gallup Management Journal (GMJ) surveyed U.S.
employees to determine the effect on individual creativity and
workplace engagement when employers emphasize developing employee
talents and strengths.
This research indicates that strengths development can be a
powerful factor in creating and sustaining a workplace culture that
allows innovation to prosper and flourish -- and employee
engagement can intensify this effect.
The findings strongly suggest that when companies emphasize
strengths development, the chances are greater that a culture of
innovation and creativity will exist. When Gallup surveyed employed
adults, 30% of respondents strongly agreed that their organization
is committed to building the strengths of each associate. Of those,
a majority (54%) also strongly agreed that their current job brings
out their most creative ideas. In contrast, of the nearly 50% of
respondents who disagreed that their organization is committed to
building the strengths of each associate, only 1 in 10 strongly
agreed that their current job brings out their most creative
ideas.
Not surprisingly, the results showed that managers also play a
significant role in the "strengths development + engagement =
innovation" equation. Fifty-two percent of workers who said their
supervisor "focuses on my strengths or positive characteristics"
also said that "My current job brings out my most creative ideas."
Only 8% of respondents who did not agree that their supervisor
focused on their strengths or positive characteristics strongly
agreed that their current job brings out their most creative
ideas.
Previous Gallup research has shown that higher levels of
engagement are strongly related to higher levels of innovation, but
the combination of engagement and a focus on strengths magnifies
this impact. Sixty-six percent of engaged employees -- those with a
profound connection to their company -- who said that their
organization is committed to building strengths also indicated that
their current job brings out their most creative ideas. Only 3% of
actively disengaged employees who disagreed that their organization
is committed to building strengths strongly agreed that their job
brings out their most creative ideas. (See graphic "The Three Types
of Employees.")
Thinking outside the box
Companies that want to create a culture that drives innovation
must do more than develop employee strengths. If creativity is to
thrive, companies and supervisors need to be receptive to new
ideas. Fifty-eight percent of respondents who said that their
organization is committed to building the strengths of each
associate also said that their employer encourages new ideas that
defy conventional wisdom. Among respondents who disagreed that
their employer was committed to building strengths, only 9%
strongly agreed that their employer encourages ideas that defy
conventional wisdom.
Similarly, when respondents were asked if their supervisor
focuses on their strengths and if their company encourages new
ideas that defy conventional wisdom, almost half (48%) said that
both conditions were present in their work life. Among respondents
who disagreed that their supervisor focused on their strengths,
only 9% strongly agreed that their company encourages such new
ideas.
When examined through the employee engagement lens, the impact
of these factors -- focusing on strengths and encouraging new ideas
-- was even more evident. Sixty-five percent of all engaged
employees stated that their organization is committed to building
employee strengths and encourages new ideas that defy conventional
wisdom. Among actively disengaged employees, this number plummets
to a mere 2%.
Spurring creativity
George Bernard Shaw wrote: "If you have an apple and I have an
apple and we exchange apples, then you and I will still each have
one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we
exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."
Shaw's insight was confirmed when GMJ researchers
studied the relationship between a strengths-based work environment
and idea sharing among colleagues, especially colleagues
categorized as close friends. Fifty-six percent of respondents who
said that their organization is committed to building the strengths
of each associate also said that they feed off of the creativity of
their colleagues. Among respondents who disagreed that their
organizations were committed to building strengths, only 14% of
respondents strongly agreed that they feed off the creativity of
their colleagues.
Managers also play a role in spurring creativity among
employees. Just over half (51%) of the survey respondents strongly
agreed that their manager focuses on their strengths or positive
characteristics and strongly agreed that they feed off the
creativity of their colleagues. However, when respondents disagreed
that their manager focused on their strengths, only about 1 in 8
respondents (13%) strongly agreed that they feed off the creativity
of their colleagues.
The survey findings also revealed a significant relationship
among worker engagement, a manager focus on strengths, and
creativity between colleagues. Two-thirds of all engaged employees
strongly agreed that their manager focuses on their strengths or
positive characteristics and strongly agreed that they feed off the
creativity of their colleagues. Fewer than 1 in 10 actively
disengaged workers who disagreed that strengths were a focus
strongly agreed that they feed off the creativity of their
coworkers.
Sharing ideas with friends
Gallup research has shown that strong friendships at work pay
off for businesses in significant ways. Employees who have best
friends at work are seven times more likely to be engaged
in their jobs, while those who have at least three "vital friends"
at work are 96% more likely to be satisfied with their lives. (See
"What Are Workplace Buddies Worth?" in the "See Also" area on this
page.)
GMJ's survey results suggest that workers in
organizations with cultures that support and nurture employee
strengths are more likely to share ideas -- often a key first step
to innovation and creativity. Three-quarters (75%) of respondents
who stated that their organization is committed to building the
strengths of each associate also said that they have a friend at
work whom they share new ideas with. Among respondents who
disagreed that their organization is committed to building
strengths, only 38% strongly agreed that they have a friend whom
they can share ideas with.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents who stated that their manager
focuses on their strengths or positive characteristics also said
that they have a friend at work whom they share new ideas with.
Conversely, only 35% of those who disagreed that their manager
focuses on their strengths strongly agreed that they share their
ideas with a friend at work.
When the responses to the questions on idea sharing and
strengths commitment were compared by worker engagement levels, the
results were even more telling. Eight out of ten engaged employees
(83%) who strongly agreed that their organization is committed to
building the strengths of each associate also strongly agreed that
they have a friend at work whom they share new ideas with. This
number drops to 5% among workers who are actively disengaged and
who disagreed that their organization is committed to building the
strengths of each associate.
A slightly lower percentage (79%) of engaged employees who
indicated that they have a manager who focuses on their strengths
also strongly agreed that they have a friend at work whom they
share new ideas with. This number drops to only 5% for actively
disengaged employees who do not agree that their manager focuses on
their strengths.
Growing innovation through strengths development and
engagement
Gallup's research into the relationship between strengths
development and innovation strongly indicates that organizations
that emphasize developing employee strengths may reap the benefits
of increased levels of workplace innovation. This relationship is
further intensified by employee engagement. Company leaders who
want to drive growth through innovation could look to employee
strengths-development initiatives as a viable strategy for
achieving organizational goals.
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,010
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted April 22 to May
17, 2006. For results based on the total sample of national
adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of
sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to
sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of
public opinion polls.