Innovation is what most businesses aim for no matter what industry. In fact, a lot of today’s most successful businesses were founded on innovation. Look at Apple and Microsoft; both companies started from ideas that seemed impossible at the time they were established. However, the inventors stayed faithful to their unique concepts and persevered, leading to two technology giants that define the tech industry.

Phys.org reported that back in 2009, 22% of manufacturing companies had one of more product innovations according to the National Science Foundation. The same percentage was also found among businesses that experienced process revolution from 2006 – 2008. Their data shows that innovation continues to be a driving force among industries. Today, a lot of companies seek to create a culture encouraging creativity, which will allow people to come up with new ideas and develop them for the benefit of the business.

Hire Like-Minded Individuals

One of the most important things to have in a company is synergy, especially if you’re looking to assemble people with strong ideas. Forbes magazine suggests hiring like-minded individuals to foster innovation. It’s important that you and your co-workers have the same vision moving forward. However, they stress that this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re only hiring people who simply just agree with you. It’s healthy for a company to sometimes have opposing views, as long as they all have aspirations to attain the same end goal.

Promote Diversity

Hire people from different backgrounds, passions, and capabilities in your company. By having a diverse workforce it provides the company with a number of different perspectives. These will lead to a variety of ideas and different approaches to problem-solving. Employees can even brainstorm with each other to come up with a better concept or a more-rounded solution.

Celebrate Ideas

People are oftentimes scared to share their new ideas because of social ridicule or even possible retribution. Over time, this social norm has blocked multiple breakthroughs from coming to fruition. Inc magazine advises companies to celebrate ideas to encourage creativity among employees. You can do so different ways, from salary raises, bonus checks, or simply verbal praises.

Focus On the Big Picture

Despite your day-to-day tasks, you have to remember that your new idea is what will get you and the company ahead. Business Insider stressed the importance of the bigger picture when it comes to innovation in the workplace. Leaders have to steer their team to focus on accomplishing the end goal. They also explained that a company should not be complacent once they’ve achieved something. Businesses should never underestimate their competitors because brilliant concepts can come from anyone and anywhere.

Attend Business Conferences

BFS Capital suggests attending some conferences and seminars this year. Startup companies can benefit greatly from going to these events by gathering tips on how to ascend the business ladder. Some might even find inspiration to come up with fresh ideas that can push their companies to greater heights. One of their recommendations is the Small Business Expo, held in over 18 different cities across the US. Ranked # 1 in small business conferences by Intuit, people get to network, learn from various workshops, and build professional relationships here.

Even though it’s difficult to be original nowadays, people are still pushing themselves to create something new or revolutionize a concept. To help them, businesses have to provide the right environment and culture where innovators will be inspired to work on their ideas. They will soon see that such an undertaking will have greater benefits in the long run.