Have you heard this?
Raise your hand if you have ever heard someone say, “We don’t have an idea problem. We have an execution problem.”
Perhaps you’ve even heard someone within your own organization say that.
Perhaps you have said that. (You can put your hand down now.)
Well, if you haven’t heard it, I have. Over and over and over again. “We have so many ideas that we don’t know what to do with them. The problem is not ideas. The problem is execution.”
Well… I’m afraid that I don’t agree. The crisis at hand is not one of execution. The crisis at hand is one of commitment. Commitment to doing what is necessary to turn those ideas into results. Commitment to creating a culture that makes innovation work.
All over North America organizations are paying lip service to the power of innovation. Every day another article appears in a major business publication proclaiming the virtues of this newest incarnation of the fountain of eternal youth for business. The word innovation is appearing with abandon in business plans and in annual reports, in speeches and in PowerPoints, in goals and on walls, as if just the use of the word alone is enough to inspire the desired results.
The irony of all of this is that the same organizations that say that they are open to new ideas and innovation are frozen in time in a culture that cannot support it. Like the victim of a shipwreck – clinging desperately to a life raft even though land is in sight – leaders hope that salvation will come to them before they actually need to jump into the ocean and swim for shore.
Lip service is not commitment. And commitment is what makes Strategic Innovation work.
Innovation Insight
Plant some T.R.E.E.S.
Ok – I’ve ranted. Now here is a model that you might want to wrap your mind around to get a sense of how committed you and your organization really are to making Strategic Innovation work.
Simply put, for Strategic Innovation to thrive within an organization, you need to be committed to T.R.E.E.S.
T. is for Teach: Be committed to Teaching team members the concepts behind Strategic Innovation and the tools and techniques that they need to make it work.
R. is for Reward: Be committed to Rewarding team members for both quantity and quality of ideas and the results achieved with those ideas. But be careful to balance incentive with accountability. If an organization is truly committed to Strategic Innovation, it is everyone’s responsibility to make it work.
E. is for Empower: Be committed to Empowering team members not only to have ideas, but also to run with them. Empower people not only by giving them permission to have ideas but also by giving them clear parameters for the kinds of ideas that the organization is looking for. Permission gets the ball rolling. Parameters make Strategic Innovation work.
E. is for Evolve: Be committed to Evolving your culture from one where innovation responsibilities are over and above “real work” to one where Strategic Innovation is the foundation of “real work”.
S. is for Support: Be committed to Supporting innovation in your organization with systems for each and every aspect of your program. Where do ideas go? Who reviews them? Where does the budget come from for them? How do we provide feedback on ideas? These are only a few of the questions that need to have a systemic answer for Strategic Innovation to work.
You can improve your commitment to Strategic Innovation. Why Not! challenge yourself to make a plan for bringing even one T.R.E.E.S. commitment to life in your organization this month.
Imagine the Possibilities!
-Toni Newman
Quote of the Week
Peter Drucker
American management writer (1909 – 2005)
Inspiration of the Week
Great book on why some people really do think differently
Iconoclast by Gregory Berns
Iconoclast
Turning Ideas into Results!
Please feel free to contact me at toni@toninewman.com
with any stories about how Innovation Insights has helped you to turn ideas into results.
