Training and Coaching Innovators

Continuous Training and Coaching is Essential to Innovation

by Robert F. Brands

Training and Coaching InnovatorsIn order for any company to meet its goals and to achieve sustainable Innovation , proper training and coaching is an essential though often overlooked imperative. But how can a New Product Development (NPD) team represent the philosophy of its organization if the attitude, culture and processes are not continually reinforced? Proper hiring, training and coaching is essential to finding and keeping the right people for the right job – and having them trained in their role and processes on the NPD team in order to perform their personal best.

Training and coaching doesn’t stop after the initial phase. Continuity is key. New techniques, processes and best practices should always be shared to foster a constant culture of Innovation. From top to bottom, from executives to managers to newcomers, everyone must be included in training and coaching programs to be on the same page and for the New Product Development process to go as smoothly as possible. In fact, even the trainers and coachers themselves need ongoing training and coaching to prevent their practices from going stale. Sustained Innovation is a constantly evolving process.

It is not without reason that Whirlpool Corporation established that the “How To” training is the most important need for corporate Innovation to succeed, from top to bottom. At Whirlpool, innovative thinking is considered the responsibility of each of its 80,000 employees. They continue to be the primary source for new ideas that meet consumer needs. It’s such an important part of their culture that they have a corporate initiative in place to sustain the commitment company-wide.

To reinforce and enhance a creative company culture and mindset, effective training and coaching must not be forgotten. Any company that wants to stay in business needs a sustainable Innovation program. Here are some Training and Coaching tips to help your product development process:

  • Share the Joy: As well as the frustrations – communicate what is working and not working.
  • Pick the Right Coaches: Not everyone has the psychological makeup to be the coach. Knowledge is key, obviously. But the coach needs to be able to motivate, mediate, and create camaraderie and a sense of selflessness.
  • The One-On-One Touch: Individual coaching provides the privacy and attention that breeds success. I’ve found that discussions regarding areas for improvement are received and acted upon much better in a private session, away from peers listening in. This can be especially critical with new employees and/or team members.
  • Basics First: Make certain project management basics are taught, applied and re-taught.

For more Tips, see Robert’s Rules of Innovationâ„¢ by Robert F. Brands with Martin J. Kleinman – published by John Wiley & Sons in March 2010.

Don’t miss an article (1,500+) – Subscribe to our RSS feed and join our Continuous Innovation group!


Robert F BrandsRobert Brands is the founder of InnovationCoach.com, and the author of “Robert’s Rules of Innovation: A 10-Step Program for Corporate Survival”, with Martin Kleinman – published March 2010 by Wiley (www.robertsrulesofinnovation.com).

Robert F Brands

NEVER MISS ANOTHER NEWSLETTER!

Categories

LATEST BLOGS

What happened to smart advertising?

By Braden Kelley | July 18, 2007

For a television advertisement to be effective, do you need to lay out everything for the viewer and make it obvious? Or, is an advertisement more memorable if you let the viewer connect the dots themselves? Here are two examples of television advertisements that promote the product in a slightly more intellectual/emotional way that promotes engagement and curiousity:

Read More

Invention versus Innovation

By Braden Kelley | July 17, 2007

Continuous innovation requires that innovation is placed at the center of the organization and that all parts of the organization are changed to support it. To effectively place innovation at the center of the organization, people must know what innovation is, what it looks like in their organization, and how they can contribute. Most people easily confuse invention with innovation, and wrongly chase invention in the name of innovation.

Read More

No Comments

  1. Brad Young on December 26, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    I think creating the culture is of more importance to management. Although training is important it’s the sort of thing that can be established or outsourced easily enough. Creating and fostering a culture change is a much deeper challenge.

  2. Robert Brands on December 26, 2011 at 6:46 pm

    Greater challenge indeed, just not mutually exclusive, you need both to succeed and create sustainable innovation.
    Training and coaching is the often forgotten imperative to deliver long term results.

Leave a Comment