Sustaining a culture of innovation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Malcolm Mayfield
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  The innovations of Airmen created the foundations used to build the U.S. Air Force into what it is today. Those ideas and the success that followed were born from the courage to try without guarantee and with the possibility of failure.

Airmen in today’s Air Force may think failure is not an option, but Operation GRIT looks to develop Airmen to have the courage to present their ideas and understand how failure might be one part of success.

“Operation GRIT is a paradigm shift,” said Joshua Hudson, 48th Fighter Wing Violence Prevention Integrator. “We have to look at what creates innovation, and more importantly, what stops it.”

The initiative is a holistic approach to strengthen resiliency, reinforce protective factors and reduce unwanted behaviors through deliberate and meaningful personal and professional development from commanders and supervisors. It utilizes monthly professional development discussions called, “Check 6,” that allows supervisors to tailor relevant and useful discussions to their Airmen.

“Innovation is the theme everyone should be following across the command this month,” said Master Sgt. Michaela Stephens, 48th Fighter Wing Command and Control Operations Non-Commission Officer in-charge. “It’s about promoting an environment where people feel safe and free to fail. When you don’t feel free to fail, innovation cannot happen, because people will always bare on the side of caution.”

Liberty Airmen are known for finding a better way to accomplish the mission. Resulting in saving the Air Force over 8 million dollars and more than 105 thousand man-hours through innovative processes during 2018, significantly improving the operations of the Liberty Wing and the Air Force.

“It’s about a more fluid conversation in the work place so that people feel like they can speak up and say what’s on their mind,” said Stephens. “It starts with a simple conversation, but leaves people with the knowledge that their ideas are not only heard but also valued.”