What’s HR got to do with innovation? Surely human resources is mainly concerned with the people management aspect of an organisation, whilst innovation goes on in a locked room down a dusty corridor?

Well if you think that, then sadly I have to inform you that your understanding of innovation is somewhat out of date. Yes it’s true that in the past the words innovation and invention were virtually indistinguishable, and yes it’s true that in many organisations innovation, or invention, used to be the preserve of the few whilst the many went on with their daily tasks regardless.

But in recent years our understanding of innovation has changed dramatically. Innovation is now about shaping the future through delivering game changing products, services and experiences. It’s about gaining real insight into the wider world and customer needs, it’s about collaborating and it’s about becoming adaptable in order to get solutions to market quicker than competitors. More importantly, innovation has moved away from the few and is now embodied in everything that gets done by everyone; in other words it has become part of the culture of an organisation.

For organisations which decide to build a culture of innovation this means bringing in radical changes to beliefs and behaviours, processes and procedures and HR sits at the heart of this change. Where once we had silos, we now have collaboration; where once we had hierarchy and strict process, we now have empowerment and initiative; and where once we treated failure as a cause for censure, now we see it as a chance to learn.

All this and more means that our people need to be helped to assimilate not just the beliefs and behaviours but also the skills and practices which will enable them to play a full part in a culture of innovation. For example, if we are looking to open up collaboration then our people may need to gain listening and communication skills; if we are looking to empower, then our people may need to learn to trust and to be trusted, to make balanced decisions and to take ownership of problems.

But helping to build people skills is only one part of the HR jigsaw if an organisation is truly to become one which sets innovation at its core. Whole swathes of changes may also need to be made in terms of contracts, metrics, targets and company policy. Those who are unable to embrace the innovation ideal may need to be helped to find alternative employment, whilst the employee search, hiring and on-boarding process may need to be radically altered in order to find employees who will fit into the new culture.

Whilst the changes required to build a culture of innovation may be seismic, the rewards generally far outweigh the cost. Successive surveys have revealed that organisational leaders recognise the way in which innovation can drive competitive advantage and create market leading products and services which meet genuine customer needs. The impetus may come for organisational leaders, but the HR team sits at the heart of a successful transformation, building innovation aptitudes which will deliver future success.