Emphasizing Innovation Training then Adding Technology Leads to Lasting Change
“Companies fail by going to technology first for innovation. Innovation is a transformation, not just a technology. ” – Microsoft Innovation Management Framework, 2013.
“Despite all our gains in technology, product innovation and world markets, most people are not thriving in the organizations they work for.” – Stephen Covey.
In our last article, we discussed Innovation as a system. We made a direct comparison that system based innovation is just like a well designed manufacturing process. Our conclusion was that as the leader, education and coaching of your team is the most important element to ensure sustainable innovation training is alive and well where you choose to work.
As we meet with executive leaders, many common themes emerge related to Innovation. Many indicate they have no shortage of ideas, which is true. Most indicate they have tremendously creative teams, which is also true. Leaders also believe that all they need are new software solutions to better capture innovation.
Conceptually here, the software technology needs to track ideas, manage innovation challenges, and monitor innovation performance. With the right software, there is a belief that innovation will accelerate and drive growth, with no additional innovation training necessary.
We’ll explain more here of the important contextual and psychological factors as to why this thinking of technology first should focus in a different direction before adding technology as an amplifier.
Why is Innovation Training is Important?
Most adults are expected to have a built-in ability to innovate. However, this is not a reality. As Sir Ken Robinson shared at his famous TED talk, “Are Schools Killing Creativity,” the reality we must confront is that many adults have completely lost the ability to innovate. This natural skill of creativity and innovation, present in children, was “educated” out of most adults.
As adults we worked to advanced degrees and further specialized in chosen corporate professions. We were unknowingly set out to chart a course of problem solving by finding the single perfect and always correct answer. Failure in that answer was never an option. We could never be wrong. If we were wrong, there would be serious consequences in our grades. If our grades slipped in school at any level this would impact our career choices. We were being conditioned every day with a fear of failure.
That fear of failing was reinforced daily with each further progression in the education system. This hard-wired reality makes it extremely difficult for adults to re-discover and master skills of creativity that were once second nature as children.
There is good news. In organizations that educate first, a great practice occurs when senior leadership teams recognize technology as the amplifier of innovation training. Leaders can educate and train first. After the innovation training has some resonance time in the organization, the next step is to install amplifying technology to create an organization in which their teams will thrive.
After Innovation Training, What Elements Represent the Ideal Tech Stack?
The technology to amplify innovation training should have the following characteristics:
- Be as intuitive and as simple to use as your favorite smartphone “App”.
- Have the ability to capture results of your innovation efforts immediately. No major enterprise deployments, requiring a cadre of deployment specialists. The Best Practice is for a software as a service (SaaS) cloud hosted model to ensure a rapid deployment.
- Provide measures that monetize your pipeline of Innovation with sales revenue and the cost savings potential.
- Provide immediate feedback on requests for support, supplier collaboration, and the innovations monetary value.
- Be social network connected. Solutions that work best have human AND technology interconnected channels. These channels provide direct access to like-minded and educated customers, suppliers, universities and innovation experts.
- Provide a tiered release system, with security levels that can be adjusted to internal, external or public communities of practice. This permits a capability for company teams to make strategic decisions and selectively open innovation outside of traditional development methods.
- Segment innovation ideas into simple categories like CORE innovations and LEAP innovations.
- CORE innovations continue to expand your existing and profitable product or services lines.
- LEAP innovations, are ahead of your current customers, taking you to divergent markets or even better, creating new markets.
The benefit promise of this approach with innovation training ensures highly engaged teams, suppliers, and a laser-focused energy that exceeds customer expectations.
Each educated group in the company delivers a strong diversity of meaningful and unique innovations. The innovations over time, creates an innovation culture that fixes the deadly cost reduction only mindset. This drives long-term growth with a pipeline of creative ideas. Lastly, this approach with innovation training delivers a scalable structure, promoting a fearless and smart risk-taking culture.
Leaders create a culture that delivers on long-term growth and value, transforming companies, and most importantly, helping people to thrive!
Ready to Learn More and Explore Next Steps for Innovation Mastery?
The Innovation Garage offers three levels of innovation training anchored in systems thinking that will build innovation mastery for your organization. To learn more about upcoming innovation training and education events, click here. Take a first step on your innovation training journey by reaching out to us here, or drop an email to [email protected].
At The Innovation Garage®, we help organizations grow. Providing education, tools, technology, and expert consulting in change management for strategy, innovation, and supply chain. Guiding leaders from organizations across the world to intentionally self-disrupt their offerings and organizations. We deliver world-class education, tools, and technology on how to craft business operating systems focused on long-term profitable growth.
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