For large and highly bureaucratic industrial firms, the idea of fast paced innovation may seem far fetched. But as manufacturing giant Alcoa proved, seeking insights from employees can help to increase safety, streamline innovation and, in turn, create a far more profitable and successful organization.

Becoming an innovative company is no small feat, so when thinking about first steps looking to a company that has set the standard for innovation can help. Google is known far and wide for their unconventional practices to help boost innovation with their team. While not every Google practice will work in your organization, adopting a few of Google's unique methods can help set your team on the path for success in innovation.

When thinking about what is most important in a thriving technology company, innovation or investment, there is almost a chicken or the egg debate in the works. One company that has always been known for being the cornerstone of innovation and calculated risk is Apple. While Apple has been quite profitable since its humble beginnings in a garage in 1976, they have made a few head-scratching choices over the last few months.

It is becoming more and more common to remove excess layers of leadership in most organizations. However, one risky experiment by online megastore Zappos.com proved that at least one layer of management is necessary for happy and successful employees.

The current landscape of the business world is tough: employees expect more from their jobs relative to benefits, compensation and recognition and employers in turn want more out of their staff. Longer days and increased demand are two common expectations of most companies, and often this is to the determent of other factors - like long-term happiness and engagement. New research, however, suggests a middle ground, where employers can find greater productivity without the expense of unhappy employees. . . 

It's important for teams to be on the same page when going through the innovation process. However, being on the same page doesn't always mean being in agreement. Having one or two people on your team to serve as "Naysayers" or "Devil's Advocates" can help the innovation process by asking tough questions that can prevent long-term problems. Is your team willing to challenge the status quo to create innovations and new ideas that have been fully vetted?

Technology guru General Electric has dominated the consumer products and innovation space over the last 30 years. But things haven't always been so easy for the multinational conglomerate. Growth for the brand was slow and steady until former CEO Jack Welch decided to take the idea of 'business as usual' and flip it upside-down. Take a lesson from GE and learn how better engagement with your company can lead to innovative success.

The shift from engaged and energized employees to clock punching 9-5ers can be a tough trend for any leadership team to curb. Many managers may turn to micromanaging or docking points on annual performance reviews to stir up more buy-in from their team. Instead, read our blog on motivating employees through a shared vision to find better tactics to take your team from phoning it in to all-in.

When discussing the modern work environment, two things become immediately evident: employee engagement and trust in management are at a low point. This is concerning as lack of trust in management can lead to resentment, high turnover and decreased production from employees. So what can leadership teams do to move their company beyond the current mindset of distrust? Click here to find out more.

Most companies find value in employee feedback and ideas for innovation. Unfortunately, many don't know how to effectively capture and respond to these great ideas. Stop your company from taking a huge engagement misstep by brushing up on our tips on how and why you should launch a formal employee innovation program at your company.

Technological advances have made it possible to communicate with someone on the other side of the world with the click of a button. Messages that used to take days or weeks to send back and forth, can now be accomplished within a matter of seconds. This has opened many doors to organizations seeking to have employees in various geographic reasons. But, while technology has made communicating with widespread teams easier, one problem still remains - how to easily manage and integrate teams that are thousands of miles apart.

When an organization is small, it is easy to communicate information throughout the team. This is one of the many reasons why small companies are able to move so quickly and efficiently. However, as a compact organization begins to transition from small to medium, or medium to large, there can be a lot of growing pains in keeping communication running smoothly. Read our 4 tips to help your growing team communicate like a small business.

Successful companies have always been concerned with the image that their brand and corporate values portray to the public. Everything from sustainable business practices, to sourcing ethical products and fair treatment of their talent has now fallen under the microscope. Because of this, keeping employees happy is no longer important just for the internal success of an organization, but for the public opinion of your company as well. A lesson learned the hard way, by one of America's favorite coffee brands . . .

Being a great manager goes beyond understanding your business and knowing how to inspire and guide others, it's also about knowing when to be involved and when to step back and let your employees take the reins.

Long ago the idea of the annual performance review was introduced, but as companies have begun to shift the way they view leadership and people management, discussing employee goals, performance and career pathing only once a year seems antiquated. More large organizations are seeing the light in changing the way they evaluate performance, is yours?

Few news stories have made as big a splash as the recent piece in the New York Times about workplace abuse at Amazon. The company, so recently the object of praise for surpassing Walmart in value to become the world’s largest retailer, found itself in full damage control almost overnight and was caught entirely flat-footed. But, after reading several blog posts, reactions from the public and news sources covering the story, one might be suspect as to who is really at fault in this situation. . .

Annual performance reviews have been long dreaded by management and employees alike. Is it time to do away with the archaic once a year, backward-focused progress report in favor of something new?

The world watched in amazement when, in December of 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed into 15 separate countries. The great social experiment's failure marked the triumph of capitalism and the free market over socialism and central planning. But, looking at many American companies today, over 20 years later, and one can see the Soviet command-and-control management style is alive and well. . .

Strict hierarchy limits performance and the recent riots in Baltimore have shown that society pays a high price when policing goes awry. Police Chief Magazine points out: to stay relevant, modern law enforcement needs to flatten the hierarchy and create an environment of shared leadership.