The subject of innovation has been a hot topic in the learning and development sector for the last few years. It has become particularly pertinent during the past 12 months in the wake of the economic slump as the realisation of budget cuts have moved ever closer from the horizon. Almost every cross-sector organisation has been feeling the pinch and are therefore looking for ways to retain or increase productivity while looking to deal with cost efficiencies.

This “doing more with less” mantra has been hollered across the nation for quite some time, and the argument for many is that innovative thinking needs to cultivated. Fortunately, the training and L&D industry is well known for its ability to promote and extract innovation, from executive coaching and brain training to well-known theories, such as Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, there is some form of training out there that can be used to get the creative juices flowing and hopefully boost the bottom line.

In the UK the traditional approach towards innovation has been looking at process but now the focus has shifted to looking at innovative behaviours – particularly within the leadership function. This is big business as organisations recognise that conventional leadership is giving way to a new breed of leader who should be able to motivate and enthuse their employees to think ‘outside the box’ in an effort to boost competitiveness.

In addition, the thinking that previously saw innovation training as the sole domain of top level executives has become outmoded – theses days, bright ideas can come from any member of an organisation, irrespective of their position in the company. This ‘free thinking’ approach can be witnessed in all types of organisations from small businesses to multi-nationals. What’s more, from the trainer’s perspective, there are plenty of tools available to boost their offerings when it comes to innovation training depending on the nature of the type of innovation required.

As the need to improve productivity and promote creativity within organisations continues, so too does the requirement for innovation training.

TrainingZone.co.uk has long been a celebrator of innovation, having recently held our first ever event, TrainingZone Live, which aimed to help delegates think creatively about training solutions, and now we are turning to the community for its views on the subject.

Training in innovation is the subject of a new study currently being conducted by K2 Advisory, a research body that’s part of Sift Media and a sister organisation to TrainingZone.co.uk.

So is innovation training part of your organisation’s L&D strategy? Are you planning on bringing this type of training into the company, or perhaps you have been a keen advocate of innovation training for some time now? Take part in this short survey and help us to gain the bigger picture of how the UK is embracing innovation.