Isolation or Conflict....the Innovators Dilemma
Human beings are creatures of inertia. If you are a well-paid and generally comfortable corporate executive, you may tolerate evolutionary change but revolutionary and disruptive change will generally......freak you out. So the innovator has a dilemma. If you want to innovate in a corporate setting (really any institutional setting where large numbers of people have come together under an established operation), you will be the one fish swimming upstream. And the other fish will NOT be happy. Innovators in large organizations have to count on facing resistance and outright conflict. And this isn't just an intellectual exercise. Conflict is unpleasant for most people. It's draining. It makes people sad and frustrated. Being the one fish means you don't get much positive reinforcement since the change you're driving won't generally yield fruit for years.
The innovators other choice is to go it alone. Be a maverick and often an entrepreneur. But building your own enterprise from the ground up comes with its own personal challenges. Unless you find true partner(s) it can be a lonely endeavor. You also have to build everything from scratch. Not just the kitchen you were hoping to innovate but the whole house - floors, walls and bathrooms. This forces you to spend time on things that don't interest you. Starting from scratch also exposes you to a lot of extra risk. The whims of the capital market. The circular argument that the customer will buy it once it's well established, which requires the customer to buy it. You're still swimming upstream but the other fish are not your colleagues but the market. But unlike the corporate fish, they don't fight you - they just ignore you.
So one way or the other, being an innovator requires a strong psyche. Isolated or in conflict, the innovators path is not an easy one and requires a certain character to persevere.
Which one is tougher? The insider innovator or the entrepreneur innovator?
For more of my thoughts check out: https://innovatoranddealmaker.wordpress.com/
Executive Search with a focus on Strategy roles
7 年Excellent post on an important topic, particularly for large organizations wanting to avoid stagnation - they should consider how they can facilitate internal innovation and support "intrapreneurs"
Strategic CFO empowering organizations to look ahead with confidence!
7 年Entrepreneurs do not think about conflict, they think about outcome. Insiders have the greatest dilemma because new ideas challenge the status quo. and If there is resistance to change the innovator will constantly be presented with obstacles. The key to success in this situation, is knowing how to change the direction of the collective by empowering those around you to redirect with you-signs of a leader!
Automation pioneer in Data, AI, Cloud and Identity. Inventor of the data fabric architecture in 2015.
7 年So true. I've been living this for the last 20 years.
Strategic CFO empowering organizations to look ahead with confidence!
7 年“Challenging the status quo” -leader, trendsetter, innovator, change, visionary!