Innovation Stigma

Over on Innovation in Practice, Drew Boyd comments on the stigma associated with innovation that deters executive from investing.  Drew goes on to say that the innovation industry is somewhat to blame for this because it has conspired to keep innovation shrouded in a cloak of mystery.

To some extent, this is true.  I remember sitting in the audience a few years back at TRIZCON when, during a panel discussion on how to expand the reach of TRIZ, the distinguished Toru Nakagawa suggested that the teaching of TRIZ needed to be simplified to lower the barrier of entry for practitioners.  There was nothing shocking about the suggestion, but what happened next was stunning.  Larry Smith, formerly President of the Altschuller Institute, scolded Toru and asserted that since it had been difficult for him to learn TRIZ, it should be difficult for others as well.

But the real source of executive uncertainty when it comes to innovation is simply that most companies are still stuck in the hopeless cycle of accidental innovation.  As a result, they see very poor, often negative, returns on the investments in innovation.  This is further exacerbated by the fact that there are innovation companies out there peddling ideation snake oil.  So, company’s bad experiences with these innovation charlatans further taint their view on the value of innovation.

Yet, we see so many examples of innovation driving business growth and success.  I have been enjoying reading A. G. Lafley’s account of how P&G made innovation central to their “consumer is boss” ethos.  This focus on innovation was instrumental to turning around P&G as Lafley took them from being a tired, lackluster company to being the world beater that they are now.

The truth is that disciplined, sustainable innovation practice really works.  It drives corporate value and is one the most important core competencies that a company can develop.  Innovation practice is not about fuzzy games to tease new thoughts out of people though.  It is about learning the specific techniques of framing your challenges in the right way and then applying proven problem solving methods to unwind the challenges.

Don’t be fooled by the think that you can fuel you innovation program with ideation snake oil.  Do invest in building a strong and integrated sustainable innovation program.  In the end, you will find it is easier than you think, and the rewards are far greater that you imagine.

Comments

[Drew Boyd]

Jim, thanks for adding your insights here. The notion of "accidental innovation" is so true. What makes the cycle worse is when companies retrofit in hindsight some logical explanation of how the innovation occurred in an effort to justify future spending. Also, thanks for sharing the TRIZ story. The lesson for me in that is that innovation is a skill that can be learned...but don't take shortcuts.