Skip to main content

Is Innovation Impossible?


Ingenious Igor seemed to be perplexed when Avid Andy asked, "Igor how would you describe Innovation".  Andy, started Igor in a crackling voice, Innovation is anything where the output causes a shift in direction.  You see Andy, many assume that change and innovation are synonyms, that is not the case.  Instead, continued Igor, Innovation is the whole package; creative and often disruptive design, deliberate deployment, and absolute adoption.  After a pregnant pause Igor blurted out, Innovation is a tall order and success is only realized after the "I believe button" changes to an "I can't live without" admission by naysayers and supporters alike.  Depending upon the directional impact and breadth of the innovation, the transformation could take weeks, months, or years.



Inspiring innovation across the organization is different for everyone; however, a few thoughts may help get you started:



  • Undisputable destination | no surprise for anyone reading my past posts, you absolutely must answer the question of why.  So many times we focus on what and even how, with innovation these focal points will generally over complicate the objective.  Speaking from personal experience, on more than one occasion, starting a journey without a crystal clear destination will find you wandering aimlessly, burning resources, credibility and support.  Spend time understanding the importance of your innovation for the practitioner and the business.
  • Reserved socialization | timing is EVERYTHING.  A very delicate balance happens early on in the idea gestation phase.  If you are introducing a concept which is highly disruptive or WAY outside of the box, the release of information to others outside of the core team will need to be strategic.  Be careful as you need to get far enough for others to see your vision; however, not so far that others do not feel part of the solution.  Be sincere, you must believe if you expect others to get on board, trust and passion are essential.
  • Top down, bottom up |  this is very hard to answer as it depends on the leadership, their style, operating locations, past performance.  Innovation has never occurred, or a misunderstanding that the last Accounting upgrade was innovative,  absolutely top down.  Ideation meetings, free flowing and sharing of ideas, bottoms up is effective (as these types of organizations are generally flat).  My experience has shown that a good mix of top down and bottom up is the best approach.



As with many things in business, an Innovation leader must have a solid IQ and a strong EQ (emotional quotient).  I would add, in the era of digital transformation, that your DQ (digital quotient), that's right I just made the last one up, must be accomplished.  Igor slapped Andy on the shoulder and said, after work let's discuss this more over a few shots of Vodka.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

resilience, do you believe?

Seeking out the closest spot to the door of the office was not a common practice; however, at 07:00 on August 24th, 2022 the temperature was already 96' and 98% humidity.   The building would have a hell of a time keeping up today, rolling black-outs and brown-outs would be inevitable.   It likely won't be an outright equipment shut-down, instead we will have to endure the impending "brown-out" conditions, a slow, low voltage and high amperage stressing of our electrical infrastructure and connected systems. Our deliberate and continuous leverage of Industrial IoT (IIoT) technology and the companion AI prescriptive models have positioned us well. It had to be around the year 2018 when we invested in IIoT.   Heck, most were comparing our endeavors to the "Nest" thermostat, a pioneer (yet very fundamental) entrée into home-based IoT.   Naysayers were laughing that we would never see the benefits; however, our fragile National infrastructure and Mothe...
Post a Comment
Read more

is your "score", you?

Avid Andy begins to wonder if he may be schizophrenic.   Or could it be a sign of true genius when he can see a problem from all sides? Andy was reflecting on a service meeting that happened last week.   Conversation was around our ability to objectively measure things and make better decisions. At the center of almost any measurement environment are the fundamentals of math. To determine priority or influence, it seems logical when dealing with inanimate objects like sensors, assets, and sites in a portfolio to move towards "point-based systems". The real dilemma for Andy seemed to comes when we begin scoring humans and letting pre-determined algorithms establish an individuals path. Our service meeting quickly changed from tactical to philosophical discussions and one of the technicians, Pragmatic Paul, made mention of a black mirror program (Netflix) named "Nosedive".    In this futuristic episode, an individuals score dictates their behavior and those ...
Post a Comment
Read more

In$pired

As the steam from Avid Andy's coffee fogged his glasses on this crisp January morning, he reflected on last year and thought enthusiastically about the year ahead.   Sometimes the noise of business is deafening, we rarely take the time to contemplate our moves, instead are often thrown one direction or another.   Hey, face it, if you are reading posts to gain perspective you fall in the group of folks who pride themselves as obsequious hoop-jumpers.   We live to help others and expect that all of those around us feel the same way.   I just love Influential Irene.   Okay, it is out in the open, she is an inspiration for me and so many others.   Irene reminds folks every year, without fail, these three statements which she fondly refers to as "the punchline" (although this is no joke).   Businesses, of any size, will be successful if they remember that it is people that make a company.   Put this advice into practice, today: Sincerity |...
Post a Comment
Read more