There is a constant need for innovation in today’s dynamic business environment. A fresh idea, whether in in form of product or service can become a breakthrough for an organization or even catapult the organization’s growth and success rate. However, in these ever-changing fast-paced times, that advantage doesn’t last long.

What helps with longevity is sustained innovation that comes from a constant sense of development, from unleashing the creativity of people throughout the organization and to teaching employees how to recognize and grab unconventional opportunities.

When crisp, innovative ideas surface, a clear sense of mission empowers front-line employees to act on them, which can further drive the company’s purpose.

Here’s how sustained innovation works:

1. Start out at the top – The strong commitment to establishing the right conditions for constant innovation needs to start at the top. This means that a leader needs to starts considering their own assumptions about the need for change and upliftment and their role in creating an innovative change and culture in the organization. Additionally, as a leader, you need to appreciate the value of incremental as well as major improvements. Understand the psychology of innovation and take the lead in promoting an innovative culture.

2. Open communication – Open the floors to free-flow communication between the management and employees, which can set an atmosphere of trust. Good leadership initiates the process of opening communication by sharing information with employees on a regular basis. This includes the good and bad, both. Leaders of organizations can sustain innovation by offering multiple opportunities for communication. Leaders can also communicate their openness to hearing innovative ideas from those who are closest to the customer.

3. Lessen the bureaucracy – Bureaucracy slows down any and all actions, and it is a serious hindrance to innovation. Smaller organizations can often move faster on implementing innovative ideas because they have less bureaucracy. While the same is not possible in bigger firms – holding regular meetings with the manager and employees can create a sense of belonging and make employees and their ideas feel valued.

4. Acceptance to risk management and failure – An essential part of growth for an encouraging innovation team is tolerating a certain degree of failure. Innovation is a risk. Employees won’t take risks unless they understand goals clearly. Maintain a clear but flexible framework in which to operate and understand that failures are recognized as simply steps in the learning process. Leaders should prepare their teams for every accomplishment and challenge and show signs of silence in order to achieve desired levels of creativity.