Apr 14

Apr 14 Seven innovation questions for leaders

In a related post, I wondered whether the approach most organisations took to implementing innovation was similar to Alice’s dilemma:

‘It sounded an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply arranged. The only difficulty was, she had not the smallest idea how to set about it.’

(Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland).

Fundamentally, organisational innovation and reform involves uncertainty. Uncertainty is not simply the lack relevant pieces of information about a process or activity or event that is otherwise known. Uncertainty arises from problems of knowing where and how to start. It is the problem of finding a solution to a problem whose dimensions and importance are unknown. In such cases, we stand dumbfounded about how to proceed because the knowledge and tools available to us are inadequate. We need new knowledge and new tools, but perhaps most importantly, new questions.

Indeed, to make progress in the face of uncertainty, paradoxically, more questions might be a useful place to start (as opposed to more answers and solutions).

So, what follows might be some initial planning questions for leaders and managers faced Alice’s dilemma.

Where have I considered the administrative dimension of innovation? The ability of the organisation to innovate is bound intimately to the capacity of leaders and managers to create the conditions for new ideas to flourish while preserving the structure and order that ensures business as usual can continue. The workforce must have the capacity to test, refine and integrate innovative ideas. This goes to policy, resourcing and appetite for risk and change.
Where have I considered the technical and economic dimension of innovation? If the innovation is based on a change in technology (in the broad sense of the word) then behind that technology sits a technical or economic idea—a way of viewing the world. So, is that idea visible? Is the organisation well positioned to adapt to a new way of working? Where will the fiercest confrontation between the old and the new show itself? This goes to the philosophical and technical integration of ideas.
Where have I considered the workforce dimensions of innovation? The artificial barriers of workforce organisation and power distribution routinely confine the opportunity for innovation. This goes to politics, communication and the need for hope.
Where have I considered the knowledge dimension of innovation? Capitalising on innovative opportunities requires a mature understanding of how the workforce makes and shares knowledge. Innovation is knowledge intensive. The ability to manage the competing demands of workforce specialisation (the store of experience and practice) and entrepreneurship (the generation and application of new knowledge) will be a persistent problem. This goes to the translation of ideas from theory and into process and practice.
Where have I considered the strategic dimension of innovation? Innovation has a profoundly strategic dimension. Strategic continuity can both enable and retard innovation. Innovation is path dependent. Small changes in the organisation’s early strategic stance can result in small and large changes in outcome. Innovation does not follow linear patterns of progression. Thus, cultivating a ‘culture of innovation’ commands a long-term perspective. This goes to an understanding of the strategic importance of uncertainty and how it will be tackled.
Where have I considered the social and cultural dimension innovation? Innovation threatens the prevailing social order. Creating shared meaning; evolving norms and values; sharing power and authority; and the behaviour of groups and networks all contribute to cultivating and shaping innovation. Embedding innovation in the structures that support social order is essential to supporting innovative behaviour. This goes to sustaining innovative practice as a behavioural and social norm.
Where have I considered the organisational dimension of innovation? Knowledge becomes the essential factor in understanding the generation of capability, so the capacity to promote learning and encourage collaboration must grow. This goes to identifying where the next innovation and reform will emerge, and how it will be approached.