Building employee and organisational commitment to innovation initiatives - a study of how to communicate, motivate and inspire innovation commitment through internal branding in large mature companies

Abstract

How do you systematically inspire employees and organisations in large mature companies to participate in innovation initiatives? In May 2010 the Volvo Group hosted their first ever virtual idea generation event on a Group-wide level. In preparation for this event an extensive campaign was launched to communicate, inspire and motivate innovation commitment among employees and organisations. The event was called VGBI LIVE and was the result of an innovation framework calles Volvo Group Business Innovation. In the past, a small team of innovation coaches within Volvo Technology have conducted internal idea generation events (i.e. ideation events). Their experiences led them to understand that the participants generally needed to be inspired and motivated prior to the events. Our assignment was to provide and prototype and ideal formula for how to do just this. In collaboration with Volvo Technology, this study aimed to: Identify and prototype a method of communicating a new innovation initiative. Inspire employees and organisations to commit and participate in an online enterprise-wide ideation event. Ultimately, to conceptualise the prerequisites for enterprise-wide creativity and innovation, and provide an ideal formula for the ICEP innovation model. Clear cut best practices of how to perform these initial phases of innovation initiatives are far and wide apart. By conceptualising innovation as organisational change we were granted new perspectives and tools (West, 2002). In this endeavor we utilised Design Thinking as a strategic resource (Brown, 2009) and internal branding as a strategy and change facilitator (Mahnert & Torres, 2007). Our research questions were: How do you systematically inspire employees and organisations in large companies to participate in innovation initiatives? Can brands, through internal branding, motivate and inspire employees and organisations to be more creative or voluntarily express their creativity? How can Design Thinking be utilized as a strategic resource in an innovation process?