Imagine a David Attenborough voiceover whilst you read the italics:
“Here, in the deepest of corporate jungles we catch a glimpse of the elusive Innovator – this rarest of species is not well adapted to surviving in an increasingly harsh corporate environment and as such, is on the verge of extinction. To see one that is able to function at all in the concrete jungle is rare, to see one functioning well is an experience only few experience. And yet, such is the allure of the Innovator and the beautiful Innovations they create that many a senior executive will not rest until they have successfully trapped a “department” of Innovators.
Being able to “bag” an Innovator is, of course, a major trophy for a corporate big-shot and is highly prized. However, once captive, many of these Innovators simply do not have the ability to adapt to the rigours of the corporate environment.
Many struggle to fashion the tools required to develop effective business cases, many fail to navigate the complicated stakeholder landscape, some do not have the social skills required to work with the other jungle beasts and most lack the plumage and voice to show off their ideas to senior executives. Most spend their days coming up with new ideas that are simply left unacknowledged and undeveloped. Unloved and unable to bring their ideas to fruition they return to their own caves to live out a solitary existence.”
OK – enough with the Attenborough voiceover – here’s the point. Whilst we continue to believe that the secret to driving Innovation in a business is to hire Innovators we will continually fail. From spending many years studying Innovation and Innovators I can now categorically state that effective Innovation is best driven by a multi-disciplinary team of people with following a process. Whilst we continue to try to find a person or persons capable of successfully executing all the stages of the Innovation process we are missing out on the massive benefits Innovation can bring. INNOVATION IS BEST DELIVERED BY A TEAM.
Here’s another metaphor. In the UK there is a wonderful TV programme called Grand Designs (hosted by Kevin McCloud). Each week Kevin introduces the viewers to a couple who are planning to build their dream house and we follow their progress as they wrestle with numerous architects, planners and builders. We smile smugly as we watch their inevitable overspending and failure to complete the build on time. We wince as they struggle to juggle families, jobs and the building project over many years – eventually to stand proudly in the front room of their new house reliving the traumas with Kevin. At the end of the programme we feel a sense of admiration that “against all odds” the couple have triumphed and over the many years and months have brought their idea from the dream to the paper to the reality. This is the Innovator as we so often picture them. Compare and contrast with another (less glamorous) UK TV building programme called the Big Build (hosted by Nick Knowles). Each week Nick introduces us to a family who are down on their luck and living in disastrously unsuitable accommodation. In the space of two weeks, whilst the family are holed up in a local B&B, Nick and an army of designers, builders, plumbers, electricians, plasterers and decorators dismantle, rebuild and extend the family’s home. The result is magical and despite a few minor melodramas, the TEAM has pulled off a minor miracle for which the family is inordinately grateful. This is Innovation as it can be, as it should be – no fuss, no bother just the right people with the right skills following the right process delivering a phenomenal result.
So please, for those of you who want to drive Innovation – please stop looking to identify “the” Innovators in your business, it is counter-productive and distracts from the more effective way to deliver innovation – instead look to build the process and the team required to deliver Innovation.
Having laid out my thoughts on this topic I’d be fascinated to know what people think – do drop me a line and let me know your thoughts.
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