Creating an Innovating Environment
So I was reading the March issue of Fast Company Magazine and posted 5 things about Google’s Innovating environment over on my 11 Bravo Company Blog. I thought though that these would be things that would apply to a church as well. I mean as a Church we are not selling a product or trying to win market share in the normal sense, but in a way we are. Therefore I think that churches need to look at innovation in the same light that a business does. “What can we do to further our vision, without compromising our mission or message”, which is exactly what Google does. With that said here are the 5 things that I pulled from that article:
- Release products fast- Then fine tune them to work. This
builds a buzz and a fan base, and then keeps those people interested as
you are continually improving the product instead of having long
development periods. - Keep things simple- Travel policies(don’t overspend),
Employee Assimilation(Just have them start doing their job), Company
Policies(Use common sense) - Except for Hiring- This is the exception to keeping things
simple, in fact it is what enables you to keep things simple. If you
are making hiring a big process then you can be sure you are getting
people who you can trust with simple policies and procedures. - When in doubt, Do something- If you have two paths and
you’re not sure which is right, take the fastest path. Whats true in
physics is true with product creation/Business. Once you get a car in
motion it is easier to steer then if it just sitting in a parking lot. - Create Fearlessness- Google instills a sense fearlessness in
it’s employees. They are not afraid to take on big tasks, they are not
afraid to speak up with a crazy idea(in fact if they do it will
probably become the next great product), they are not afraid if they
don’t know how to do something(they figure it out), they are not afraid
because the Google environment creates a sense of fearlessness when it
comes to innovation. Even if they fail they aren’t going to lose their
jobs for trying out a new product. They will probably just try to
refine it and relaunch it.
So what can your church learn from Google?
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