Desarrollo de zonas

Respondents were asked about how and what the organization could change to improve the innovation process. A critical point inside the organization is that innovation is not actively stimulated. This can be done by leaders, but also by organizational documents such as the vision of the Netherlands Fire Service. So, one of the points for improvement is that the work floor is more stimulated with regard to innovation. People on the work floor could be more directed to engage in innovative activities by the top of the organization. This is necessary to utilize the potential of the work floor. This is also proposed by one of the innovators:

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You can do much more in the area of innovation when you focus more on communication and direction. Then you enhance people to come up with ideas and that is not the case now. I think that particularly the focus on innovation can be improved: clearer goals and ambitions. (JVDH2)

Thus, the leaders should direct the work floor to behave innovatively. They can do this by articulating the vision of the Netherlands Fire Service with regard to innovation. If we look in terms of leadership behavior then promoting the importance of innovation inside the

organization is necessary for this point of improvement. This promotion can be done during team meetings but also during the daily activities.

Another aspect which could be improved is the path for people with an innovative idea have to go to tell the right person about his/her idea. There are plenty of good ideas inside the

organization, but sometimes people do not know who they have to contact to get his idea further in the process. Therefore an innovation manager per region is proposed by one of the

innovators. Such a manager should serve as an easily approachable person when it comes to all the activities which has to do with innovation. So, a better path for innovative activities can be improved, which is also articulated by this leader:

A good innovation route, both regional and nationwide. So, you have to know who you have to contact when you have an idea. That could be clearer. (LS1)

Besides introducing innovation managers, the leaders could also adopt this role. Therefore, they should be open for all the innovative ideas and they should make clear towards the work floor that they are open for such ideas. When the employees know this, they do not feel any obstacle to contact the leader and this leader has the internal/external network to bring the idea further in the process.

The organization of the Netherlands Fire Service is divided into 25 safety regions. Those

regions are all working on innovation, but not all the regions do it extensively. In addition, some regions are operating quite autonomously. This implies that there is much more potential with regard to collaboration between the regions. The sharing of knowledge is the third point for improvement. All the regions want to invent the best innovations, but it is more effective when they collaborate with each other to optimize those innovations. Thus regions need to collaborate and share knowledge to improve innovative activities:

Now every region tries to get attention by doing the best inventions and maybe that should be coordinated better. (JVDH4)

We should improve the sharing of knowledge with each other, so we have to know what every region is doing and we should be open for this. We have to make a kind of market place which is easily

approachable. This sounds very easy, but apparently it is difficult to do so. We posses all the systems for it: we have nationwide systems where all the regions are coupled, but in one are another way we are a nation who does not much with this. (LS1)

This collaboration and sharing of knowledge can be driven by the leaders in the organization. When the leaders share the knowledge of their teams with other leaders, then the (potential) innovations will be diffused among all the regions of the organization. So, in terms of leadership

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behavior, sharing knowledge is essential for leaders to achieve an organization which collaborates properly with each other. The leaders have the job to share this knowledge because employees do not have such a big network the leaders do have.

The last point for improvement has to do with ensuring the freedom for innovators to work on their project. The layer above the work floor, the management, should be more horizontally integrated in the organization instead of vertically. So, this requires a change to a more flatter organization where distances between people decreases and where it is easier for the work floor to get in contact with the management:

The management layer should be at the same level of the work floor, they have to facilitate them. It are good people, but they hostage each other so that they do not dare to do anything and they cannot move. So, you have to unravel this layer and put them against the work floor, horizontally and without

hierarchy. (IM2)

To ensure this freedom, the leaders should support and facilitate the innovators during their innovation projects. A natural distance between leader and employee is good, but this should not result in employees who are frightened or feel obstacles to contact their leader. Therefore behaving ‘as one of them’ is the task for leaders and it is important for a good working climate where innovations flourish.