On Innovation & Ambiguity
“Critical thinking without hope is cynicism. Hope without critical thinking is na?veté.”
This was written by Maria Popova about the need for hope in journalism. The idea that hope requires criticism, and vice-versa, is one that has guided me as both a creator and manager of creative teams. Failing to apply critical thinking to innovative products, for fear of appearing cynical, does a disservice to both consumers and creators. Similarly, attacking ideas because they are new and unproven does nothing but demoralize the people that care most.
Even though Popova’s quote is about journalism, it speaks volumes to the creative process, and specifically innovation efforts. A peer, whose work I respect, recently told me that “innovation in a title might as well be carnival barker, Chief Snake Oil Officer. CSOO” and as Managing Director of Innovation Services at Isobar I think that is a perfect example of the cynicism Popova notes.
I get it. The truth is, there are plenty of charlatans using innovation as a buzzword, ultimately leading to projects that can’t be realized. The antidote to this cynicism is the hope that comes from a structured, supported innovation practice - like the one I’m leading every day.
Proctor and Gamble CEO Bob McDonald got it right when he said “... promotions may win a quarter here and there, but innovation wins decades.” Campaigns, while immediately gratifying and award-winning are good for quarterly results - but quarters quickly become years and without a culture supportive of innovation, complacency feeds on quarters. For a company or team to be truly innovative you must build a culture that supports it, and that is not easy or fast. Additionally, innovation is not self-sustaining. While one project may be considered innovative, a culture that can’t survive those that aren’t almost guarantees longer-term efforts will fail.
It’s clear that innovation is fundamentally important to the health of a business, but what do you and your team actually do with that knowledge?
?As easily as critical thinking without hope becomes cynicism, innovation becomes chaos without objectives, culture, and process.
A key concept that factors into innovation is ambiguity - the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; uncertainty. Innovation is inherently ambiguous:vast opportunities borne of uncharted territories and lateral combinations of solutions. However, when poorly managed, it’s the uncertainty that not only leads to chaos but also creates the bad sentiments towards innovation practitioners.
I believe that innovation is here to stay—so much that I’ve made it my career. I’m building standards based on changing culture and formalized objectives to manage ambiguity. I am betting that innovation will drive growth for companies small and large. If you're interested in hearing more, let's talk.
Chad Vavra