Innovation is defined as the introduction of something new, a new idea, method, or device. The word new has several different meanings: a thing that never existed before or an old thing refurbished and made as if it were brand new, or new to you but old somewhere else. For example a newly-born baby is a person that was never in this world before. After a rigorous 8 week exercise program, Jack announced, “I feel like a new man.” Jack has been around for a while on this world, but now he is ready to take on new and exciting challenges because he feels so much better about himself. Or hiring outside people for senior positions is often called bringing in new blood. The new hire has been on the world for awhile also, but in a different environment so they have different thoughts and behaviors to apply to your existing situation.
Different Kinds of Innovation
In all three cases innovation is the key to new products and services that customers want and are willing to pay you profitably for. Like the new baby, you may have to invent it. Or like Jack, dust off the old and get re-focused or re-motivated with new skills, or like the new-hire, bring in outside ideas and capabilities. The problem with all innovation is that it in some way changes the current condition and those around must adapt to the introduction of innovation. Thus innovation involves risk, and to many people risk is bad, not good. Many senior managers spend much of their time managing and mitigating risk as a thing to be feared above all. Yet there is no growth or improvement without it.
Those who constantly seek and encourage innovation create possibilities. Those businesses and organizations who protect their status quo risk even greater distress than minor changes in the work place. They risk loosing the business if the competition does innovate and customers are paying profitably for their goods and services and not yours. The problem is since innovation involves risk, you have to decide if you will overcome the immediate risk and possible failure of exploring innovation now, or the harsher risk of loosing market share to competitors who take and overcome those risks you avoided.
When the scientists at Xerox invented what was to become the personal computer, the problem was not that they did not know how to innovate. The problem was that management could not recognize the potential of new possibilities. Had that PC been a better copier, they would have jumped on it because it fit their present mode of thinking and narrow strategic objectives. Because it did not fit their preconceptions, they missed it.
Managing the Fear of Innovation
Two aspects of directed innovation are seeing the need for change and be willing to accept the risk of change. Manage the risk of discomfort and possible failure of it not working in small steps rather than being forced against the wall with not only big risks, but direct and powerful threats. The interesting thing is that innovation is like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets. The stronger your innovation muscle, even if you do get a competitive attack, you are much more able to handle and overcome it.
Pick an area you are comfortable in now and consider how you could improve it in small steps. It could be personal growth like reading a bit more on a subject you are interested in, but never spent any time on.
- For someone who has always been aware of but never understood the stock market, this could be reading a book or take a course on investing.
- For a salesperson this could be some extra reading on psychology or carpentry.
- For a businessman study your competitors and see what they are doing differently than you and learn more about it. If nothing else, try and figure out why they are doing it and you are not. The point is to stretch a little and grow into a new area.
Innovation, something new, comes in many forms, newly invented, newly invigorated or brought in from the outside. Like taking a new route to work in the morning, change always has elements that you have never dealt with before. Your old patterns and quick fixes may not work anymore. In all cases this creates change and effective change is managed change. Look for possibilities and manage the risks you can.
- For the new route to work, leave early enough so that if you get lost, you can still get there on time.
- At work, if someone comes up with a different approach, let them speak and do not dismiss them right away. Even if the idea is not directly useful, thank them for thinking out of the box or trying to help. If the idea can be applied, find a way to let them help implement it. Or use it as a springboard for other ideas.
Stay in the Innovation Gym
In our world, if you do not innovate, you will cease to grow and no growth means eventual loss of market share and loss of business momentum. Start with small steps in your personal life; get comfortable with a little change. Then start encouraging innovation at work. Take small steps and keep exercising that innovation muscle.
Copyright Donald Mann 2008, all rights reserved.