Dans un article pour le site Innovation Excellence, Greg Satell reprend les termes de Lou Gerstner : « La culture n’est pas un aspect du sujet. La culture est le sujet. Au final, une organisation n’est rien de plus que la capacité collective de ses membres à créer de la valeur. » Pour se transformer, une organisation doit donc partir de ses collaborateurs, en tant que collectif. C’est pourquoi Greg Satell prône une organisation en réseau, qui connecte les individus. Il explique que les modèles hiérarchiques traditionnels perdent un temps précieux à donner des ordres descendants, tandis que les organisations en réseau sont plus agiles, donc davantage capables de s’adapter à des marchés en mutation. Pour réussir à se transformer et à mettre en place une culture de l’innovation collaborative, les entreprises ont ainsi tout intérêt à connecter leurs collaborateurs.
[Also read: Collaborative innovation: challenges and opportunities].
A culture ofcollaborative innovation is above all a culture of... collaboration
Greg Satell returns to a recurring question in companies: how to make employees more innovative? In asking this question, he points out that companies seem to be looking for an ideal employee, 'the new Steve Jobs': a dynamic, creative and determined employee. But the truth is that the culture of innovation is not an individual matter. The mission of organisations is to create a collaborative culture, where everyone feels integrated, legitimate and motivated. And such a culture is not built in a top-down mode. On the contrary, it is built with its members.
Overcoming borders to move towards a culture ofcollaborative innovation
In his article, Greg Satell then mentions the work of sociologist Mark Granovetter. He notes that the professional world is a small world. In fact, we often find people we know and who are similar to us. They go to the same places and like the same things. However, in order to gain access to new knowledge, it is necessary to go beyond this to access new circles. In other words, to meet new people, belonging to other circles.
Business is wonderful because it allows these new connections to be made, giving rise to what are scientifically called "boundary spanners". They create strong links between themselves, around charitable projects, corporate values, passions, etc. And it is thanks to these new connections within organisations that information and knowledge circulate.
Collective intelligence is a long-term driver of transformation
The Innovation Excellence article quotes Barry Libenson, CIO at Experian: " Digital transformation is kind of a misnomer. You don't transform technology, you transform usage. A corporate culture that connects people allows you to spread enthusiasm around the transformation - as well as expertise in implementing it - much faster and with much less resistance. »
In fact, what Barry Libenson is saying is that before we talk about technology, we are talking about culture and people. Transformation must be based on people. It must even make employees the main actors of change. A collaborative corporate culture makes it easier to identify change ambassadors. These are the people who will carry the change and take the other employees with them.
In his article, Greg Satell provides several concrete examples that illustrate the need to connect people to build a culture ofcollaborative innovation and succeed in transforming. Only by focusing on its corporate culture will an organisation be able to face all the challenges ahead. What makes companies competitive in the future will be their collective intelligence, not the sum of individual performance.
