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Innovation is a nascent discipline and, as such, very few of its \u201ctruths\u201d and tenets have had the opportunity to mature and to brave the test of time. Less diplomatically, one can say that much of what is said about innovation is not worth the flip-chart paper it is written on. Strangely enough, even though the topic is so new, some common views have already attained the status of myths, which makes it a bit difficult to unseat them and thus avoid some of the damage that these beliefs cause in organizations.<\/p>\n
This third installment of our series from the Behind the Scenes of Corporate Innovation meetup, co-hosted with 3M, focuses on some of these corporate myths. Why? Because becoming aware of their existence and their effect is an important first step in ridding oneself of their effect.<\/p>\n
The myths are divided into buckets, each placed under the relevant element from our 7 Elements Model.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”7 common myths” _builder_version=”3.0.65″]<\/p>\n
Alternative:<\/strong>\u00a0Look around you \u2013 most innovations you will see were invented and designed by engineers.<\/p>\n It is commonly assumed that some of us have the innovation gift while others simply don\u2019t, rendering them incapable of innovating.<\/p>\n This is incorrect and, in addition to academic research, we have 23 years of experience in the field to prove it. The truth is that\u00a0skills and processes that lead to innovation can be taught.<\/a>\u00a0Everyone can significantly improve their skills, regardless of their baseline.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alternative:<\/strong>\u00a0ROI – Return on Innovation, absolutely\u00a0must<\/em>\u00a0be measured, otherwise no serious innovation effort will be sustained in the organization.<\/p>\n To many, innovation is amorphous and mysterious and thus can be difficult to measure and monitor. There is even a fear that measurement itself can stifle innovation. This is true, but only if the wrong indicators are used at the wrong time. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to\u00a0clearly define what the organization means by innovation<\/strong>. Once there is a clear definition, it is\u00a0possible and crucial<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0to measure your ROI, although the way to do it is not always straightforward.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alternative<\/strong>: Innovation can and should be applied to\u00a0every<\/em>\u00a0aspect of your business.<\/p>\n We\u00a0advocate an innovation mindset<\/strong>, not merely to create new products and services, but to \u201cinnovate in what you do\u201d. If applied in a structured way, using appropriate tools, any task or process can be innovated on, to improve results and achieve goals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alternative:\u00a0<\/strong>Without ongoing management commitment, the effort cannot be sustained<\/p>\n Top management very often makes a brave decision to launch an ambitious, company-wide innovation effort, and even budgets it generously. But, very quickly, responsibility is relegated to lower ranks in the corporate hierarchy, and management impatiently adopts the role of demanding quick and tangible results. Instead of supporting the effort for the long haul, management becomes impatient to either celebrate prematurely or move on to the next \u201cmanagement-flavor-of-the-month\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alternative:<\/strong>\u00a0It has been proven time and again that BS is not effective in generating truly novel ideas.<\/p>\n Brainstorming has many advantages but, as research and corporate experiences have shown time and again, creating novelty is not one of them. By placing constraints on your thinking and using a structured approach, you can consistently achieve success.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alternative:\u00a0<\/strong>Dabbling in innovation, as enrichment or mental exercises can be lots of fun, but true innovation, in the sense of challenging your deep assumptions and firmly set ways of working, mostly involves hard work and requires discipline. There is much in the process that one can enjoy, but true change of beliefs and habits cannot be all fun and games. That is why very often a facilitated team effort is required to achieve impactful innovation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alternative:\u00a0<\/strong>Very often, those who \u201cresist innovation\u201d have an important point to make.<\/p>\n Resistance to innovation often emerges from the \u201cwrong\u201d motivations: fear of change, turf wars, oversized egos, etc. But, this opposition doesn\u2019t always need to be \u201covercome\u201d, rather, it is often very useful to listen carefully since those who oppose change often do so for valid and solid reasons. Resistance can also be a sign of the strong potential for novelty, pointing at valuable dig-sites.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.65″]<\/p>\n With this post, we finalize the “Behind the Scenes” MeetUp series but continue to share and learn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Innovation is a nascent discipline and, as such, very…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" *Digital Resources<\/em><\/p> Innovation is a nascent discipline and, as such, very few of its \u201ctruths\u201d and tenets have had the opportunity to mature and to brave the test of time. Less diplomatically, one can say that much of what is said about innovation is not worth the flip-chart paper it is written on. Strangely enough, even though the topic is so new, some common views have already attained the status of myths, which makes it a bit difficult to unseat them and thus avoid some of the damage that these beliefs cause in organizations.<\/p> This third installment of our series from the Behind the Scenes of Corporate Innovation meetup, co-hosted with 3M, focuses on some of these corporate myths. Why? Because becoming aware of their existence and their effect is an important first step in ridding oneself of their effect.<\/p> The myths are divided into buckets, each placed under the relevant element from our 7 Elements Model.<\/p>Governance<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Myth #2:<\/strong>\u00a0Innovation cannot be measured<\/h3>\n
Outcomes<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Myth #3:\u00a0<\/strong>Innovation is mostly about creating products or services.<\/h3>\n
Resources<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Myth #4:\u00a0<\/strong>Top\u00a0<\/strong>Management\u2019s only job is to launch the innovation program, and budget it.<\/h3>\n
Processes<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Myth #5:<\/strong>\u00a0Brainstorming is the best way to come up with new ideas.<\/h3>\n
Behaviors<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Myth #6:\u00a0<\/strong>Innovation and creativity are always fun.<\/h3>\n
Communication<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Myth #7:\u00a0<\/strong>Those who oppose innovation programs are wrong. They are simply \u201cresisting\u201d.<\/h3>\n
These are only several of the common myths and traps that organizations deal with and fall into when embarking on innovation journeys. Talk to us, and we\u2019ll be happy to hear\/read your thoughts, and also to acknowledge \u2013 when relevant \u2013 that we ourselves are as vulnerable as anyone else to being wrong(:<\/h3>\n
What to expect?<\/h3>\n
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Skills<\/strong><\/h2>