15 - Innovation and Visitor Experience Teams

Summary

Innovation is not for geniuses working alone. It is a group activity.

(Theodore Henderson, Forbes)

One of the most effective things that can be done to make sure your visitor experience is constantly evolving and improving is to foster a culture of innovation within your teams.

When we talk about innovation, the tech sector is probably the first thing that jumps to mind. Even when people talk about innovation in the museum sector, they often focus on technological advancement. For example, when describing the use of innovation by recipients of Art Fund money, an article in The Guardian in February 2022 talked about development of apps to make collections remotely accessible, interactive exhibits and the launch of virtual field trips (Bakare, 2022).

However, innovation doesn't necessarily have to mean high-tech and highbudget. Merriam-Webster simply defines innovation as ‘introduction of something new’, whether that be a device, method or idea (Merriam-Webster, 2022). So, you don't need to be Apple or Google to be an innovative organisation. You just need to be open to trialling new ideas.

The benefits of innovation

Innovation isn't something that should only happen in the board room. Great ideas can come from anywhere, and if you are looking to solve problems in your visitor operation, what better think tank than the people who work on the frontline of that operation every day? If you are open to innovation from all levels in your museum, you’ll gain access to the wide range of knowledge and experience in all your employees.

Not only that, but fostering a culture of innovation has great benefits for employee engagement. By encouraging new ideas, you can demonstrate that you place value on the thoughts and suggestions of your team, and that you are willing to try things out to solve the problems that are important to them. People need to feel that they have agency in their work. For frontline teams, whose work is often restricted to specific locations and times, it's really important to find authentic opportunities to give them that. Being able to see an idea through from beginning to delivery is a great development opportunity for your employees, and we already know that if you can give your staff opportunities for genuine engagement, they are likely to stay engaged longer, and ultimately stay with you longer.