Sharing New Ideas at Work, it's Tough
A company's culture is demonstrated through the attitudes and behaviors of the people working within an organization. Going against the grain at work is typically not easy, especially if you’re working within a culture where innovation is not invited. As such, it can help to employ some of the following tactics in introducing new and unpopular ideas to your team.
Here are four tips gathered from Indeed, Harvard Business Review and Exact Staff writers that will help you productively challenge an aspect of your organization's culture.
Build your credibility
Part of being persuasive is establishing your own reputation at work. You may see areas that can be improved, but you must first build your credibility. What is your current track record of performance? How are your interpersonal relationships? For better or for worse, these things matter when leaders choose who to listen to.
Understand the current culture
Pay close attention to your company's existing behaviors, processes and attitudes. What are the company's values and goals? Is your "challenge" to the status quo going to support their goals? When framing a new idea, it’s important to articulate how it is still supporting business goals and what the benefit of the approach is.
Prepare: Gather data
Be sure you have a strong sense of the company mission, industry trends and relevant data to help you think critically about your idea.Data is the hard evidence that often supersedes opinions or feelings at work and it "can help you describe the impact of your proposed change." Thus, gathering the right data can help you build a persuasive case.
Use the data and research you have gathered to create a feasible solution (given the organization's goals and resources). Write an organized implementation strategy so that you can think through your ideas.
Ask questions and take stock of context
If you’re presenting a new idea in a conversational meeting, start by asking your team questions that will allow them to engage with your idea and see how you are thinking. Here are two suggestions for taking an inquiry stance:
Leadership consultant Timothy R. Clark suggests that you engage the team's intellect by having a conversation that requires critical thinking. For example, ask "If we don't change anything, what will happen?" or "What does this data tell us?"
Both Indeed and Exact Staff suggest that you ask for opinions about your idea to gauge whether your idea is important to other employees. This approach can also lead to opportunities for collaborative challenging of the status quo which may increase your credibility and chances of success.