The idea of creating an experimental workplace culture sounds quite inviting at first glance—creative ideas, engaged workers, a reputation for being the center of innovation—what’s not to like? However, despite the many benefits of developing an experimental workplace culture, most organizations choose to stick to the traditional work environment and avoid straying too far from the familiar. The reason for the hesitation is obvious as it all boils down to the practical complications of implementing experimentation in the workplace.
Trying to change the work format can cause a lot of discomfort for employers and employees alike, which discourages companies from fully committing to the concept of experimentation. Still, the beauty of figuring out the right balance between tradition and innovation can be exceptionally rewarding to an organization that gets it right.
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What Do We Mean by Creating an Experimental Workplace Culture
A mad scientist experimenting in his lab is fueled by unusual ideas that are one right ingredient away from changing the world as we know it. There’s a mix of ideas and possibilities that others might shy away from but the madman remains fearless in the face of uncertainty. A failed experiment means nothing when there are so many other combinations to try out.
Fostering a culture of experimentation at work is not quite as radical, but it does take the same attitude of testing the boundaries of how we work and finding solutions for how we can work better. A culture of experimentation involves a workplace where employees are encouraged to take their unusual ideas and actually explore them in depth instead of discouraging them from taking them any further. Implementing experimentation in the workplace involves creating a space where employees can challenge each other—respectfully of course—and build on the ideas their team comes up with. It gives them room to challenge the work format in the organization as well as approach their managers and bosses with difficult conversations instead of suppressing them.
There are innumerable opportunities for conversations across departments and various combinations of teams are often tested out depending on the project. Workers, regardless of their seniority, are given the opportunity to lead the creative direction of a project without being punished when things don’t pan out. Creating an experimental workplace culture involves combining elements that don’t traditionally go together and see if the company can find an angle or a market niche that has not been explored before. As fantastical as it sounds, it isn’t impossible to foster such a culture of experimentation.
Benefits of Implementing Experimentation in the Workplace
Creating an experimental workplace culture is not done purely for the sake of being different. There are many benefits to creating a workplace where ideas are encouraged, which go beyond just having a “fun” workplace. A report by ZipDo indicated that about 30 percent of large companies prefer to have a partnership with businesses that showcase innovation. The study also found that companies that invest in innovation generate 13 percent greater shareholder returns. There are a lot of business proceedings that rely on understanding and improving the culture of experimentation and innovation.
- Improves employee engagement as workers are expected to have a more active, hands-on role at the company
- Increases the pool of ideas at an organization considering the same team of seniors isn’t tasked with planning every time
- Allow the organization to set itself apart from competitors who are all working with the same approach
- Opens up new opportunities for collaboration, with clients and even competitors whom you might not have worked with before
- Gives your customers something new to work with and engages them in the process as well
- Fostering a culture of experimentation allows the company to rebrand itself with changing times without it coming as a shock to clients and customers
- Increases the knowledge and experience of the company as a whole when various departments and teams work with each other
- Employees become adept at working with the whole company rather than just the ten people on their team
- Improves the quality of communication within the organization when all employees have a good working relationship with each other
- The company becomes better at problem-solving and can respond to a crisis much more quickly
- Saves company resources by allowing the team to determine the best course of action without pursuing a familiar but ineffective strategy
- Creating an experimental workplace culture allows the company to build up its resilience and get back on its feet more quickly by planning ahead for failure and helping employees get accustomed to the idea
How to Encourage Experimentation at Work
In an article by McKinsey, Laura Furstenthal, a leader of innovation at the company, said that more than 85 percent of innovation practitioners found fear to be the biggest factor in refraining from being innovative. Of this, only a quarter of them were able to understand the fear and as few as 11 percent of them did anything about it. Fostering a culture of experimentation in an organization requires the leaders to develop a thick skin and prepare themselves and their employees to take challenges and accept the consequences, focusing the teams’ energy on problem-solving rather than damage control.
To encourage experimentation at work, the company needs to identify where the fear is arising from and set failsafe measures to protect the company first before it gets started with taking a few calculated risks.
Creating an Experimental Workplace Culture by Starting Small
An article on experimental culture may not give you a sufficient amount of information and the confidence to commit to this journey so it is okay to start slow. Make small changes towards introducing a more open-minded, interactive workspace at work. Bring different teams together and look for avenues to have employees share their ideas. Start where possible, work out the issues that arise, and then expand.
Communicate With Employees to Get Them on the Same Page on Experimentation at Work
Surprising employees by changing the work culture can cause more stress than good considering it might make them see this as an additional burden to their existing tasks. More meetings and forced interaction are rarely appealing so ensure you implement changes gradually without infringing on their work all at once. Talk to employees about the ideas for change and collect their feedback—that’s a great start to developing an experimental work culture.
Encourage Employees To Come to You With Ideas For Fostering a Culture of Experimentation
If you’re confused about how to encourage experimentation at work, you can start by gathering input from employees. Create a space where they can share ideas without consequences or free up their schedule for a brief period every week to work on this initiative. Let employees come to you and listen to them with an open mind. Do not discourage them without giving them a chance to explore what they have in mind.
If it pans into a full-fledged idea, give them room to try it out, even if it is on a theoretical basis. You never know where these simple ideas may lead.
Prepare For Failure and Create Strategies to Break the Fall
Implementing experimentation in the workplace will involve a lot of trial-and-error testing and you might have to create a safety net for the company. This does not mean putting all your projects on hold to conserve resources. Instead, work with your team to assess all possible outcomes and create a strategy for “What if” situations so you’re ready with a plan if things do go wrong. Even if things do not work out as planned, do not blame the employee for taking too big of a risk. Participate in every stage of the execution process and if things don’t go smoothly, continue to understand the problem and consider your next step.
Implementing Experimentation in the Workplace Requires a Culture Shift
A half-hearted attempt will likely backfire if the culture does not support it. Introducing an innovative, unprecedented approach to a single project will make it difficult for employees to suddenly adapt to the novel approach.
Try to make experimental thinking a part of their everyday experience—generate new ideas for every project even if it doesn’t get used, redesign the workspace in a way that suits the organization rather than the other way around, introduce outside voices who have some experience with innovation, add unique activities and rituals to the workplace that the employees want, and embrace the attitude of trying new things out.
Creating an experimental workplace culture is an experimental process in itself. Learning how to encourage experimentation at work is just as interesting as seeing it in action. Ask questions, gather data, test the limits of what is possible, and encourage all your employees to do the same.