The world is constantly in flux. Changes are occurring so rapidly now that a company like MySpace can have a 75% share of the social marketing world and one year later be completely surpassed by Facebook. Companies have to be constantly looking for paradigm shifts. They need to constantly change to survive. Every available resource needs to be focused on innovation and changing paradigms. This is accomplished by leaders within an organization taking advantage of resources and diversity to find and innovate new ideas.
This innovation comes first and foremost from people. Everyone in your organization comes to the table with different experiences and backgrounds. Why not take advantage of this diversity of thought to innovate new ideas. Companies who have implemented a long-term plan for diverse hiring are at a distinct advantage in this area. The more the diverse the organization the stronger it becomes. Ideas are king in the new economy and these ideas come more easily from the meeting of diverse minds.
Most companies need to change their culture so that all human resources are used in their effort to innovate. Every level of a company can innovate. Every department has creativity within them. The people who work in the manufacturing department certainly have ideas on how to do their job better. Their insights are probably far superior to the managers who spend no time on the manufacturing floor. Make sure that every department in your organization makes time to share ideas and innovate. The one idea that changes the course of your entire company's future may come from the shop room floor.
The best way to accomplish an innovation culture is to build an innovation machine from the ground up - department by department. In this structure every employee has a voice in suggesting new ideas. Your innovation machine should allow for an open sharing of ideas throughout the company. Ideas should flow up to upper management, down to the newest member of the organization and side to side between departments.
Good leaders know that they can't do it alone. One single mind, no matter how brilliant, can't hold a candle to the collective brainpower of an entire organization. Utilize all the human resources in your organization to keep pace with the fast paced change of the world.