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:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

why transform?

Why do I want to change, who said anything was wrong with my stack of papers and sea of Excel files?   We solve problems, that is a key characteristic of any successful service organization, if it isn't broke why fix it?   Often, when discussing a transformation from paper or cobbled together systems to a cohesive digital approach, folks struggle with the gap between what they currently do and how digital tools can help.   You really need to look at where the pain points are in your organization and how these compare to your business objectives.   Consider writing down these points on the whiteboard in no particular order, spend a few days shuffling and consolidating into a prioritized list.   Once you have the "why" and the "what" identified, the old remaining step is "how".   Some of the most popular observations over the years have been; Slipping through the cracks :   you know, not the major muscle movements, instead those little i...
Post a Comment
Read more

entusiastic about preventative maintenance

Why do I really care if my field technicians are enthusiastic or not? When you look at a person's work output, as directly related to workforce sciences, you come up with three primary ingredients required to achieve your desired results.   These ingredients are; attitudes, attributes, and capabilities and when mixed properly with enabling tools can yield unbelievable outputs. So what does any of this have to do with routine maintenance? If your maintenance routines actually become way too routine then pretty soon performance will be replaced with complacency. In order to keep any piece of equipment running as trouble-free as possible the maintenance performed, and the thoroughness of the inspection and tasks at hand, have a direct impact on the asset's life expectancy.   There are some strategies that help service organizations keep the enthusiasm at all-time highs. Switch techs from time to time :   One of the best ways to ensure maintenance is being performed...
Post a Comment
Read more

show me the money

This could definitely be one of those topics where you may be hearing voices. One voice, used when speaking with others, is telling folks that your career and the ability to make a difference is much more important than what you are being paid. While on the other hand your other voice, and I have noticed this voice gets louder and softer depending upon your age and circumstances, may be screaming get as much as you can for the work you're currently performing.   Isn't it really all about purpose?   How else can you explain schoolteachers, police and firemen, and the United States Military; all driven by the visceral desire to help and change people's lives. We certainly know, with the exception of a few in the aforementioned careers, they are not in it for the money (indeed, something seems very backwards here).   Evidence exists (@mercer) that shows if you are paying a worker within the normal range of income for their position then it is likely that being motivated ...
Post a Comment
Read more