|
 While it is overly simplistic to claim that
all organizations are dealing with the same obstacles to innovation, the
fact is: there are repeating themes and patterns that we have noticed
during the past two decades — obstacles that will need to be addressed
if you expect to establish
a sustainable culture of innovation, i.e.
-
Lack of a shared
vision, purpose and/or
strategy
-
Innovation not articulated as a company-wide commitment
-
Lack of ownership by
Senior Leaders
-
Constantly shifting priorities
-
Short-term thinking
-
Internal process focus rather than external
customer focus
-
Focus on successes of the past rather than the challenges of the future
-
Unwillingness to change in the absence of a burning platform
-
Politics — efforts to sustain the status quo to support entrenched
interests
-
Rewarding crisis management rather than crisis prevention
-
Hierarchy — over-management and review of new ideas
-
Under-funding of new ideas in the name of sustaining current efforts
-
Reluctance to kill initiatives that are not succeeding, but have been
funded and staffed
-
Fear that criticizing current practices and commitments is a high-risk
activity
-
Workforce workloads (i.e. too much to do, not enough time)
-
Risk aversion (i.e. punishment for
"failure")
-
Micromanagement
-
Inelegant systems and
processes
-
Addiction to left-brained, analytical thinking ("data is God")
-
Absence of user-friendly
idea management processes
-
Unwillingness to acknowledge and
learn from past "failures"
-
Inadequate
understanding of customers
-
Innovation not part of the
performance review process
-
Lack of skillful
brainstorm facilitation
-
Lack of "spec time" to develop
new ideas and opportunities
-
Inadequate "innovation
coaching"
-
No
creative thinking training
-
No
reward and recognition programs
-
"Innovation" relegated to R&D
Defining Our Terms
Culture: "The sum total of
values, norms,
assumptions, beliefs and ways
of living built up by a group of people and transmitted from one
generation to another."
Innovation:
"The adoption of a new practice, process, or paradigm by a community —
not just a new product or service.
"Adapting, adjusting, or altering that which already exists for the
purpose of adding value."
Creativity: "To cause to come into being, as something unique that would
not naturally evolve or would not exist via ordinary processes.
Resulting from originality of thought."
Organizational Roadblocks: "Barriers, obstacles or hindrances that limit
or compromise the full expression of a company's ability to originate,
develop and/or implement new, value-added ideas." |
