Language Shapes Our Behaviour

Language Shapes Our Behaviour

Working with a client recently they made a comment that stuck with us. They said ‘they want us to be innovative’

This comment reminds us that even in a life sciences company that highly values innovation, we shouldn’t assume that everyone understands or feels the same about the word, INNOVATION.

Language shapes our behaviour, and each word we use is imbued with multitudes of personal meaning. We must carefully orchestrate our speech if we want to achieve our goals and bring our dreams to fruition.? – Andrew Newberg, Neuroscientist?

Reflecting on how the industry has approached innovation in the past it was definitely ‘innovation theatre’. Where an individual's ideas were judged by what others thought about them, without a robust selection and validation process. Often this would look like groups of people submitting their BIG idea to a regional group who would select the ‘winning’ idea based on nothing else than what either resonated with them or was a good pitch document.

Innovation frameworks have fully evolved since those days, but that doesn’t mean we as humans have changed. That we have evolved to see innovation and change as a good or safe activity.

Each individual is different, with some people energised by the idea of innovating, while others feel pressure and anxiety.

How we each interpret what innovation is can be very different.

Here’s the deal

For some innovation represents digital transformation, for others, it means new operating models. For most it means change. And change can trigger resistance.

Everett Rogers, Diffusion of Innovation theory from the 1960s, shows us how innovation diffusions across an organisation (and society)?Understanding that not everyone is an early adopter is key to implementing any change. The majority of people will be slow to want to try something new, to change what they do, or risk failure with an innovation initiative.

Even when companies utilise robust innovation frameworks, we need to have high empathy for the humans in the process. When we PUSH an innovation culture onto teams, we don’t remove these physiological responses that result in resistance.?

Innovation is change.

Innovation is constant change.

Innovation requires teams of resilient innovators.        

You might be wondering:?What is the best way to create teams of resilient innovators?

We all know how risk-averse the industry is. The need for certainty has been part of the ecosystem DNA for decades. This means it would be unrealistic to expect people to think and act differently overnight. However, embracing change, and building a culture of innovation is a prerequisite for success today.

Building teams of resilient innovators won't happen by telling people we need to be innovating. It also won't happen by teaching new skills such as human-centered design, or systems thinking.?

Yes, we need to up-skill people, but first, we need to empower people with the ability to own their own development journey.?

Want to know the best part?

Taking the pressure off people and allowing psychological safety to build by creating space for people to have robust conversations and seeing what emerges is a powerful lever.?

By raising the collective awareness of where resistance happens, you leverage the wisdom of everyone to start to find solutions to whatever problems emerge.

By allowing the collective to become aware of what and how they respond to innovation and change, you’ll create a culture of co-creation & accountability to embed ongoing innovation mindsets. No longer will a culture of innovation sit within a functional unit, but you’ll jumpstart the collective power of everyone - networked teams of teams focused on the problem, rather than a directive from the top.

So where to start

Ask teams of people to gather & discuss the below questions. Allow each person to share their own thoughts, not requiring them to justify why they think the way they do, with no initial group dialogue, just listening to each other to understand.

Individual Focus: What does the word innovation mean to you as an individual? What does it look like to you? How does it make you feel?

Team Focus:?How innovative are we? How do we be innovative? How aligned are we as a group?

Organisation Focus: Why is innovation important to the work we do? How important do you think it is? Is it the most important thing?

We'd love to know if you can relate to what we have shared and if you have tried a similar approach in your organisation.

The above was inspired by a Linkedin post from Aidan McCullen, author of the book?Undisruptable, and host of?The Innovation Show

Interesting articles on innovation

1. BCG recently opened an office in New Zealand, and as part of their entry into New Zealand, they completed their well-known assessment of the top innovative companies in New Zealand.?Read who made the top 10 here.
2. And here is a relevant quote: ‘Digital Leaders Are Outperforming the Market, but Their Success Calls for Ongoing Innovation Investment and Readiness’
3. Organisations that leverage innovation during times of economic crisis outperform the marketplace demonstrating the need to embed innovation into organisational ecosystems.?Read more on why delivery of value to shareholders, employees, and society requires growth. And growth requires innovation.
4. As mentioned above there are organisational & human resisters to change and innovation. Telling people to be innovative doesn’t empower or led to long-term success. In human-centered design, we use co-design to unlock the power of the groups' contributions and to support empowered action.?Read more about this & the forces working against innovation?from an ex-IDEO consultant, now Professor of strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
5. It is often helpful to reframe and rename innovation. As Certified Reinvention Practitioners, we have a greater appreciation of why reinvention is crucial for long-term, healthy success for organisations and individuals.?Read more here Why Reinvention, Why Not Innovation

ABOUT DIVERGENT CONSULTING

Divergent Consulting is a life science innovation & change consultancy. We believe that success starts by doing things differently - today!

When teams have complex challenges to solve we facilitate human-centered workshops to move from customer insights to a customer-tested solution within days.

When teams need to think, act & work differently in a complex and uncertain world, we guide & teach teams HOW to deliver better outcomes - for patients, clinicians and the business.

Talk to us today to discuss how we help; email Tania Rowland, Chief Reinvention Officer. [email protected]