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How to build innovative companies? Understanding the innovation culture of your organization is critical to understanding which good ideas will take root or vanish without a trace.
The essence of a company innovative culture is in the words that follow this common phrase: "We can't do that because..." after a good idea is proposed. Whatever excuses, reasons and envisions people use to explain away why good ideas can't be executed is the organization's innovation culture.
These sources of resistance and denial are the real attributes of a company's innovative culture. Listen for them. Acknowledge them. Respect them. They truly are how organizations define innovation. Don't blind yourself into believing you are just a good idea away from innovative success. Resistance, not good ideas, is the most powerful lens for viewing innovation behavior.
Doubt that? In the Western world there is a proven algorithm - an excellent idea - for eliminating an overweight condition. "Eat less, exercise more". Unfortunately few consistently implement this good idea on a daily basis.
Honestly now, just how good of an idea is it to 'eat less, exercise more' when so few people actually implement it. The economic value of a good idea is all about execution than its clever articulation.
Just as 'walk the talk' speaks louder than words, implementations are more compelling than ideas. The infinite varieties of how people cheat on their 'eat less, exercise more' regimes is a microcosm of the organizational frictions that innovations can generate. (For a growing segment of the marketplace liposuction really is faster, cheaper and more predictable than 'eat less, exercise more')
The innovation challenge in organizations is the challenge of diagnosing and overcoming organizational resistance. Experience affirms that individuals, teams and companies don't hesitate to offer misleading, dishonest and thoughtless reasons for not wanting to implement a good idea.
The smartest thing that innovation-savvy management could do to boost their chances of success is to invest less time brainstorming and more time designed and executed actions targeting the sources of resistance to innovation implementation.
Nevertheless as you read through ' The Innovative Challenge in Organizations is Resistance" haven't you muttered to yourself, "We can't do this because…".