About Face: Toward a Culture of Innovation

Intellectual curiosity is the gateway to an innovative mindset. Success is contingent upon what we do with that knowledge to solve problems in our everyday professional practices. However, merely 13 to 25 percent of college graduates enter the workforce with the desirable innovative mindset. Rather, a culture of mediocrity persists within facets of academia as well as the professional workforce. Given that the youngest ranks of nurses emerge from institutes of higher learning and are the future of the nursing workforce, it is appropriate for academia to begin the charge toward change. This article presents a pragmatic discussion of key antagonists to the adoption of a culture of innovation, namely factors that comprise a culture of mediocrity. Strategies that promote creative problem-solving and a shift toward a collaborative culture of innovation will be presented for nurses practicing within academia and the health care system.