Innovation talk

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have… it’s not about money. It’s about people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” - Steve Jobs

“Imagination rules the world” - Napoleon Bonaparte 

Innovation needs a good atmosphere in which to develop. It is definitely a cultural characteristic and must be encouraged and nurtured inside a company. It does not come by simply flipping a switch. One must set an environment that encourages people to think in unusual and creative ways. This is not easy to accomplish when much of business is, by definition, so structured and orderly in its processes. Business, whether products- or services-oriented, needs to have somewhat standardized routines for much of what it needs to accomplish. Innovation, on the other hand, requires thinking out of the ordinary. These two are so different that in order to have effective innovation, care must be taken to encourage and allow unconventional thinking.

Who is responsible for setting the atmosphere for effective innovation? The CEO and top management team must create the environment. They are responsible for establishing a vision (strategy) which embraces innovation. For too many companies, vision or strategy is underrated. Without a vision of where the company is going, often there can be limited success in innovation. Management must create the challenge, the inspiration to push people to stretch, to make the current box bigger. At the same time it must be realistic. For example, a caterpillar can become a butterfly, but not an eagle. The CEO must see his/her job as creating employee excitement and passion, not just as measuring employee satisfaction or financial performance.