How can we be tired of new things?
I think what kills innovation is the moment we believe it will happen because it was planned. It will not be enough to plan a vague innovation talk for a team in the company. Badly explicated innovation projects can go to the point where the very reference to “innovation” triggers feelings of boredom and meaninglessness.
I do not say that innovation workshops are not good or cannot make people think and work together differently. I know many fantastic people in my network who got great businesses built on innovation and helping companies to dare to think differently.
However I do believe that the most important thing is that innovation should become part of the culture in a company, the same goes for inclusive companies, it is not with a nice workshop every year that things change and that a company becomes innovative and inclusive.
Of course as a company owner we may never forget we still have business to run, but that should not be the reason not to dare going for a new idea, a new way of working, a new team member or anything that is a big or a very tiny innovative step. For sure the hard truth is that in a hyper-competitive digital environment, every business will, at least to some extent, be called on to both excel at everyday operations, and push for new innovations.
The good news is with the right technological, organizational and cultural foundations in place it’s entirely possible to do both at once – and do both well.
So it is important I think as a leader or manager to make innovation a meaningful concept and not just a word you throw around.
Innovation is hard, and easy to get wrong. Innovation fatigue is however a treatable affliction, where the first step towards healing is accepting the illness.
Innovation should be a concept filled with meaning and joy, but its overuse in the corporate world has created a situation where many employees see the word as either an empty cliché or as shorthand for “we’re going to pressure you for something new, without guidance, resources or support”
We tend to think of innovation with a capital “I,” a massive transformation or radical new idea.
I believe in a more pragmatic approach to innovation. Small changes to operations or business functions can lead to significant gains.
I also believe that it is important to recognize that innovation can come from anywhere in the organization
Employees should never worry they will be penalized for trying new ideas or approaches. On the contrary we need to tell them they should not be reluctant to share creative or innovative ideas.
If you reward your people for being innovative, especially when it comes to operations and business functions, you will encourage innovation across your organization.
If innovation is the culture, you will not get tired …
