Innovation remains firmly at the top of mind of many leaders as they look to take their enterprises further, do more with less or otherwise transform their operations. Remember that innovation takes many forms and, as the Boston Consulting Group reminds us, can include:
- New to the world products or services that create entirely new markets;
- New offerings that allow expansion into new customer groups;
- New offerings for existing customers;
- Incremental changes to existing offerings; and
- Lower production costs for existing offerings.
Unfortunately, people and organizations often resist the change that innovation brings. As change agents looking to adapt to the ever changing world we find ourselves in, be alert to these top enemies of innovation.
Hearsay: I find this the most frustrating of all the inhibitors of innovation. Myths are easily perpetuated and it seems fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) spreads like wildfire. Innovators often find that they have to think about all possible angles, address every conceivable risk and consider even the indirect stakeholders. Detractors only need to insert one unsubstantiated question or unresolved doubt to add additional roadblocks to delay or upset the initiative. In many cases the doubt has been introduced by restating popularized folklore, leaving the innovator to do the work to disprove the mythology.
Languor: This closely related relative to hearsay refers to the reluctance to do the work on the part of both the innovator as well as the detractors. Now that I’ve been tuned to some of the statistical tradecraft in the marketplace, I’ve been sure to dig a little deeper to get the full context or meaning behind what being reported. Unfortunately, I’m finding more and more people aren’t going the extra step to find what’s really going on. Perhaps it’s the pace of business that keeps people from doing their own validation, but this missed step is critically important to appreciate fact from fiction and properly inform the innovator’s agenda.
Unexercised Empowerment: How many times have you heard: “I can’t do that”, or “I’m not allowed”? It seems we’ve all been conditioned to respect authority to such an extent that we project a belief of constraints placed upon us from up on high. I’ve even found myself contemplating a veto of even a small activity because of some unconscious constraint along the lines of “that’s not how we do things”, or “that’s not your responsibility”, only to come to my senses and lend a helping hand. How often have you been at a team meeting to hear about some of the concerns of your teammates only to realize that the change was completely in their grasp, they simply needed to seize it.
Take a moment to think about the innovators that you know and the successes they’ve achieved. I’m sure that you’ll find that they are champions at fighting the crimes listed above.
