What's Blocking Innovation in Your Organization?
Gijsbertus J.J. van Wulfen
Award winning innovation keynote speaker helping you to create innovative mindsets at your event and your organisation. Contact me for a proven innovation method to double your effectiveness in 2025.
No one is able to stand still in this fast paced business environment. As business leader you're looking for ways to innovate. "An innovation is something original, new, and important – in whatever field – that breaks in to a market or society." In this definition of Frankelius the words "original, new and important" are vital.
To be innovative you have to break with your present habits and convictions. This is difficult in organizations, where a lot of people have to change their convictions and habits before something really new will be deployed. You can invent alone, but you can only innovate teaming up with others in your organization.
Recently I asked in more than twenty Linkedin groups on innovation the question "what are the main obstacles for innovation within your organization?". The response was massive. This is a list of the ten most important innovation obstacles mentioned.
1. We are not aware of the need for innovation. Our company is doing too well. "A lot of people in our organization are just lazy, copying the work of others".
2. We cannot change our habits. We lack the ability to invoke change, the ability to change our mindset. "My colleagues don't think beyond what made our company successful thus far".
3. We are not creative. "There is a substantial lack of curiosity among people in our company".
4. We don’t believe innovation is going to happen. We have started some initiatives, but the board always stops new innovative products just before they would enter the markets.
5. We fear failure. Our past innovations were not successful and have cost a lot of money. "Managers were fired because their launches of new products failed".
6. Our short-term mindset rules. The company focuses on getting results next quarter. "Shareholders demand profits today".
7. There is no support. The hardest part is to get the support for the idea of innovation. How to create sponsorship for innovation at the top? A lot of innovators see a lack of among colleagues and managers as main obstacle for innovation.
8. How to uncover customer needs? A lot of our new products failed because customers did not wanted them. "We struggle to get inside the head of potential purchasers of the product or service".
9. We lack a process and structure. Our innovation process is unorganized. It's ad-hoc.
10. We do not have the resources. We do not take the time for it. We do not get the financial resources for it. And we do not have the right people in our company to develop it.
Do you recognize these obstacles? What's blocking innovation in your organization? Please share this with us.
Are you using a proven innovation method to start innovation? Check out a great 6-day training in the FORTH innovation method.
To read more from Gijs, click the FOLLOW button above or below.
Taking steps to make Mondays fear me, and Fridays respect the work I put in. No excuses.
9 年Great points in the article. One other that point I constantly face is a general fear of change within the business. Some cultures fear that change will impact the role they play in the company and disrupt their comfort zone. Being able to identify the degree to which leadership is willing to change and presenting to, or slightly beyond, those limits has yielded better results.
Business Manager at Tunas Muda Sejahtera
9 年Hallo cecile.. I hope you tstill remember to me... best regards..
Senior Principal Software Engineer - Project Lead and SCRUM Master
10 年Innovation is not something that just happens. The organization has to foster it, and in many, this is not the case.
MD, English Teacher & A Member With the Directors at Dream, Sonaimuri Model High School & A Day Care
10 年Don't centralize authority, share link for problems, consult the time for particular product innovation, be sensative about cost, apply strategy that suit enough, avoid negative thinking.
I help ordinary people become famous
10 年3. We are not creative. "There is a substantial lack of curiosity among people in our company".