Fostering Innovation This activity is important because as a manager, you must be able to create an atmosphere that encourages employee creativity, learning and exploration. This in turn improves the companys ability to effectively respond to opportunities and threats. The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of the steps managers can take to encourage innovation so employees can solve problems and create distinctive new products and services. Hover cursor over the names to read the description and then drag it to the characteristic that creates innovation in a company.

Creativity:

Learning organization:

Intraprenerurship:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Each need to go to one of the above categories.

Facebook: Encourages empoyees to experiment and even make mistakes

Logan: Was just given six months sabbaatical from her current job to lead the creation and launch of a new servie she recommended.

Jordan: encourages departmental teams to share both successes and failures with the larger organization

Jennifer: is very excited that the company wants her develeop personal mastery by experimenting, creating, and exploring what she wants

Rewards: some companies use contests, rewards, and even time off to encourage employees to generate and share new ideas

Bailey: works diligently to make sure the team understands and shares the organization's vision.

Jonathan: is not allowed to explore his ideas for imporoving the company's product, he may leave and start his own company offering a competing product.

Google:As part of its hiring process, google asks prosective brain teaser questions to see if candidates respond with original novel ideas.

Jorge: has been designated as the product champion for the company's fledgling new product.