Nice little video here. I popped it on the Innovation Video page too. While we look mostly at Innovation in Ireland and in Europe this is an interesting view from Australia that prompted a few thoughts.
The four key barriers to Innovation stated here are:
- Unsupportive Organisational Culture
- Employees lack capability
- funds aren’t allocated to innovation
- Management uncertain about outcomes
I have dealt with all four barriers and pretty much have found them in most countries and organisations. While a lot of companies recognise the second barrier and invest in training of some type or another it is the internal organisational supports that innovation needs most. What this reminds us is that the approach for an organisation must be a whole organisational approach.
Just wanting to do something is a great start but not enough.
The innovating organisation must have some desire for the new and the ability to handle the consequences. A business needs to be excited but recognise the consquences of the opportunity and plan accordingly. I’m a TRIZnik so I’d draw nine windows, think about the consquences and put in some preventative and some corrective actions. Might look something like this:
Once the company chooses an objective then we look at the consequences of that choice.
- What is the level of investment needed to make it successful?
- What is the level of risk?
- What changes does this choice make in the company?
- Does the organisation structure need to change?
- Does the companies motivation/reward/recognition/review methods need to adapt?
- How is the excitement going to be communicated?
- How is this choice and the consequences going to be communicated?
A business needs to face up to risks & changes if it is going to succeed. A business that does not have internal support structures for innovation hits the barriers mentioned above time and time again. A solid buy-in, well and publically communicated. Accommodation of the changes within the way the business is run at a metric and system level is also important. The complexity of this varies of course. In a startup it’s a mindset change within a couple of people. In a bigger organisation it’s a mindset change among a lot more people and also systems and demonstrated behaviours and procesess.
Interested to hear any examples on this
