A Guide to Developing a Culture of Innovation at Airports

Adjusting to and planning for the ever-changing airport environment is increasingly difficult. Big data is revolutionizing airport business models, the connected traveler has more control than ever over their journey, and airport concessions/retail are constantly testing new business paradigms. These are just a few examples of the changes facing airport operators. To respond, airports need new innovative options; new products and services that balance the needs of passengers and airport-wide stakeholders; new ideas that tackle the technocentric challenges of information, communication, and technology; and new strategies that result in differences that matter and provide a sense of purpose that engage everyone affected by them. Changing airport culture can be challenging when leveraging innovative ideas. Every airport has a different view of innovation within their existing culture. Innovation can be visionary, it can help solve a specific problem, or take advantage of opportunities that come from all levels of the organization or even the airport customers. The success of a culture of innovation should start with executive management and requires buy-in throughout the organization. Key questions related to innovation include: What is your airport trying to achieve? What are the organizational goals? Does your airport have an innovative culture and the resources to become innovative? Are you incentivizing employees to be innovative and rewarding them for this behavior? What does an innovation team look like at an airport? Airport teams are ramping up innovation labs, centers, and executive level positions to support critical thinking, strategy, and innovation. Airports need an approach to innovation that is powerful, effective, and broadly assessable; that can integrate into all aspects of the business and region; and that individuals and teams can use to generate breakthrough ideas that have a meaningful impact in the aviation industry. A culture of innovation will help all aspects of an airport’s business, to include but not limited to: planning, design, and construction of new facilities; customer experience; security; operational efficiency; and revenue generation. The implementation of these tools will help make an organization fit for the future. The objective of this research is to provide a guide toward fostering and sustaining a culture of innovation within the airport environment.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4837
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Results published in ACRP WebResource 16: Developing a Culture of Innovation.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 01-47

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Airport Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Project Managers:

  Griffin, Matt

• Performing Organizations:

  Barich, Incorporated

  Chandler, AZ  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Phy, Justin

• Start Date: 20200911
• Expected Completion Date: 20220722
• Actual Completion Date: 20220702

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airports; Guidelines; Innovation; Institutional issues; Organization
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Aviation; Planning and Forecasting; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01713680
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 01-47
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 12 2019 10:10PM