The Secret to Achieving Peak Innovation

First, let's clarify what innovation is. Innovation is the novel use of discovery or invention. It is doing or using something (knowledge, an invention, technology, materials, skills...) differently, in an unexpected way. Innovation relates to the quality and novelty of our actions; it's how we use what is available and possible differently. And it's not restricted just to science and engineering!

It Starts at the Top

The foundation of your organization's culture emanates from your C-Suite, their interactions, decisions, team leadership and management, and the trust the team builds throughout the organization. Therefore, it is also where an innovative mindset must be rooted. Usually, we think that innovation is primarily the purview of R&D; however, it should ideally be a way of thinking and problem-solving fostered throughout the organization. To quote Clayton Christensen, "Innovation is a culture, not an event."

A shared innovation mindset also smooths cross-functional interactions and communication while elevating the result. Imagine working with a regulatory group that demands but doesn't bend or is unwilling to argue for a novel solution to needed requirements. Contrast this to colleagues willing to develop an innovative strategy to fulfill requirements in a way that maximally enables your first-in-class modality.

It Remains a Constant Challenge

In my years in R&D, we often had people wanting us to stay as conventional as possible to check a box and make their job less challenging, or so they believed. This type of mindset never completely goes away, rearing its head periodically throughout a product's life cycle, even decades later. Highly innovative or trailblazing products often face this ongoing challenge. However, creative thinking is always needed in all facets of the business! If we don't nurture this culture or let it slip away as a startup grows beyond its early stages, we risk devaluing what we have accomplished and can accomplish in the future.

With new therapies, success is contingent on producing the best version of it at that point in time, producing it with a reasonable cost of goods that maintains its value proposition to the medical system with a compelling reward versus risk ratio. Achieving that takes cross-functional cooperation and collaboration empowered by a shared mindset. A misstep in the strategic execution of any key area can greatly diminish what will be achieved presently and over time. An innovative culture ensures that the fruits of each function's effort are more likely to contribute peak value because each effort is elevated through the team's shared willingness to think differently and consider alternatives.

It Takes Being Creative yet Practical

Innovation isn't about making discoveries or tech breakthroughs on a weekly basis. As Peter Drucker taught, productive innovation is practical. It is usually not a "flash of genius" but purposeful. It is both conceptual and perceptual. He believed that most innovation should be to improve on the here and now, starting small and focusing on an issue.

Also, there is a right time for innovation. Not all ideas are yet ripe for productive innovation. That consideration is sometimes difficult for new tech companies to manage. Innovation requires a critical mass of knowledge and technological capability to be productive. You need enough to recognize the opportunity as likely to be feasible, even when you don't yet know the exact steps you'll need to achieve it. That "spidey sense" takes some practice to develop, yet it is worth its weight in gold when you have it. Therefore, our leadership should cultivate an innovation mindset throughout the team, and as Margaret Wheatly teaches, we should think of everyone in the organization as potential innovators.

An innovative mindset is more likely to take the two plus two of what is known and create five from it. However, in pushing the envelope of what is possible, there must be a balance that keeps our efforts focused on productive achievement rather than the fantastical.

At my first biotech, our founder, who looked like a mad scientist with his often-disheveled white hair, generated media interest with his fantastical vision of what his new technology could do. Boston TV news ran a segment with him juxtaposed with Gene Wilder's Frankenstein, exclaiming, "It's alive!" (in a light-hearted, if not a little embarrassing, way.) Luckily, as exciting as the vision was, we knew we had a heck of a lot of practical problem-solving ahead of us.

When dealing with new technology full of possibilities, we risk lingering too long or going too far into the fantastical without bringing enough down to earth. An adequately focused, innovative mindset helps do that. However, productive innovation is related to time and present circumstances. With artificial intelligence (AI), access to information and its assimilation into knowledge is becoming increasingly accessible to everyone. Yet, for innovation to be productive, it must include a critical level of human understanding–something AI alone won't provide. The difference will be in how a team uses the knowledge AI delivers.

Lastly, a timely, appropriately focused, innovative culture can be difficult to maintain throughout your organization as it grows and the types of considerations, tasks, and requirements increase. However, if you lead with a commitment to fostering an innovative culture, you'll be far more likely to arrive at solutions throughout the organization that get you farther faster.