In the fast-paced world of business where change is constant and innovation is paramount, contractors must adapt to stay competitive. A key driver of your success lies in cultivating a culture of innovation. The foundation for building this culture and encouraging organizational change requires a fresh mindset and agile leadership.
If you want your business to be able to scale and achieve ambitious goals, you’ll need to create a supportive environment that drives creative thinking, allows people to take risks (with guidance and boundaries), and inspires collaboration from the “collective genius” that is your team. We’ll guide you through four principles of building a culture of innovation and share how STACK can support growth and change within your company.
Embrace Agile Leadership
Agile leadership is the cornerstone of any organization striving for innovation and change. As highlighted in Harvard Business Review, effective leaders must possess a combination of humility, adaptability, and the ability to inspire others. In the contractor’s world where every project is unique and dynamic, the ability to pivot and adjust to change as a leader is crucial.
Encouraging risk-taking within established boundaries is key. Contractors should create a framework that allows teams to explore new ideas, experiment with innovative solutions, and learn from both successes and failures. That autonomy and trust will go a long way to empowering your teams to self-organize and take ownership and accountability. You’ll go from a “follow the leader” to a “co-create with the leader” mentality.
Creating a feedback loop will further support transparency and trust within the company. As a leader, being open to employee feedback not only empowers employees that their voice matters, but also improves your processes and encourages personal and professional growth.
Analyze Performance Metrics
Understanding what works and what doesn’t provides valuable insights for improvement. This data-driven approach allows contractors to identify areas of strength and weakness, facilitating a targeted strategy for innovation. Knowing when to say no may be the most valuable future-proofing you can do for your company.
Start with a 360-degree review process for your company. Encourage everyone from leadership to entry-level to analyze performance metrics and how they can mirror what’s working for increased efficiency. Give teams the power to execute new ideas and the digital tools and data they need to innovate. When team members see themselves as integral to your company’s success, there is a shift in perception that propels long-term performance and the development of leadership skills.
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Empower and Connect Teams with Digital Tools
Digital transformation is the gateway to disseminating the rich data, knowledge, and experience of the older workforce to the younger generation. Because of the ripple effects of the 2008 recession, there is a large void of professionals prime in their careers in project manager or estimator positions. The knowledge gap between the aging workforce and Gen-Z entering the industry is large, and the fear of losing information is palpable.
Innovation thrives in an environment that empowers teams with the right tools. Contractors that leverage digital solutions are centralizing historical project data and are creating a unified database that’s accessible and standardized across the organization. Adopting the right technology for your business will enhance collaboration, streamline processes, upskill teams, and attract the next generation of talent who expects next-level tech and efficiency. Add to that continuous investment in R&D and you’ll be sure to stay abreast of emerging trends and tools.
Foster Ownership and Professional Development
Organizations thrive when individuals and teams are empowered to own their work. Provide clear goals and objectives to your employees and let them decide how to achieve those outcomes, supporting them along the way. Encourage your teams to self-organize, make decisions collectively, and take responsibility. Cross-collaborative and engaging work will help share knowledge, creative ideas, and feedback contributing to the greater good of your company.
Investing in your people for professional (and personal) development is key for employee recruitment and retention. Upskilling, reskilling, mentorships, workshops, webinars, and continued education resources all improve individual performance, leading to the strong culture of innovation you want.
By creating an environment that values creativity, embraces risk-taking, and inspires collaboration, contractors can position themselves to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry. The shift from a traditional mindset to one that encourages innovation is not just a strategic move; it is a cultural transformation that will propel contractors toward success in the years to come.
Build Your Culture With STACK
Embracing change and digital transformation are keys to any innovation initiative. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got you covered. In addition to delivering best-in-class solutions to drive growth and efficiency, we’ve created a pretty killer resource to help you get started on your path to discovering how and why your tech needs to evolve, now.
