Home | Business | Corporate

Not Making The Most Innovative List? Here's Why.

By: Keith Harmeyer Mitchell Rigie

Read More About Corporate

Lots of lists are compiled each year naming the most innovative companies. (Very few lists name the least innovative. There's just not enough room for so many worthy inductees.) One of the most noted innovation lists is Fast Company's, which in 2009 named Team Obama as it's #1 innovator. Just as surprising, however, was the fact that only 17 of the companies on Fast Company's 2008 list made it back the following year.

Just a minute… 33 of 2008’s 50 most innovative companies dropped off the list just one year later? How is this possible? How can 33 of the world’s most innovative organizations fail to continue being innovative, or at least remarkably innovative? Wasn’t their innovative competency enough to keep them innovative?

Better yet - what about the 33 million companies that weren’t even eligible? In this era of “innovate or perish,” a topic we discuss often, how is it that so few companies are really doing much that’s innovative - even the rare exceptions that managed to do some of it in the past?

One of our most popular, recent Tweets stated that thinking about innovation isn't the same as innovative thinking. And that gets to the core of the matter. There is a lot of talk about innovation these days. But when it comes right down to it, most organizations don't really do much about it, or at least not much that leads to real, ongoing innovation.

Bringing in management consultants doesn’t do it. Announcing a new era of corporate innovation doesn’t do it. Adding the word to the mission statement doesn’t make it happen, and neither does charging supervisors with the task of fostering more innovation in their divisions.

In fact, simply “creating a culture of innovation” alone doesn’t do it.

Of course, innovation does require a fertile culture, in the sense that an environment must exist in which it can actually happen. Innovation requires creative thinking that is allowed to be expressed openly and acted upon. A culture that reacts to “think different” - even “think different” that ultimately fails - with displeasure, will not inspire the guts it takes to put one’s ideas on the line.

But it’s the people, not the culture, who innovate.

In the end, what is really needed for innovation to transpire is a combination of motivation, freedom, systems, knowledge and responsibility.

Motivation to make the attempt in the first place.

Freedom to explore and express, without fear of reprisal.

Systems for sharing, developing and promoting ideas throughout an organization.

Knowledge, talent and skills required to actually transform an idea into a viable plan and, ultimately, a reality.

And responsibility for ensuring that it all takes place.

Who is responsible for ensuring that these various, essential elements are in place? Leadership, of course. If history and the news tell us nothing else, it proves that real, ongoing, effective innovation is a top-down course of action. It must be mandated, inspired, nurtured and championed by the company leader. Apple, Google, Amazon, Zappos - oh, and of course, Team Obama - all have innovative leaders driving the process. Why? Because others in an organization will rarely have the courage or opportunity to take on the challenge. Only a leader will.

Innovation is a complex practice that involves emotional, psychological, technical and operational factors. If you’re missing just one, you will never (or no longer) find yourself on the “most innovative” list.

Better luck next year!

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

----------------------- Mitchell Rigie and Keith Harmeyer, have a combined 40+ years experience working in the strategic marketing communications field. SmartStorming is the result of their personal experience and expertise, as well as extensive research and practical application in the areas of innovation, peak creative performance, group dynamics and interpersonal communication.

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Corporate Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Business | Corporate
Sign Up for a free account.
Our other websites
All about SEO
Beauty Tips Forum
Submit Articles
Member Login
Link Us
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Sitemap
New Stuff
About Us
Developer
Good shopping portal
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

counter easy hit

Powered by Article Dashboard