Innovation is a state of being
Innovation is life.
Ideas are at the foundation of innovation. And ideas come from people.
Creativity is innate to our species; unfortunately most of us have been taught to suppress that. This is especially true in conventional businesses where conformance, follow-the-leader, and cover-your-arse are often the strategy of the day.
- Your business can leverage innovation to build long-term operational efficiency and sustainability. You already have the creativity and the answers hidden within your expert industry knowledge and your people.
- Your business can become more agile by enabling meaningful work. Ideas flow best in an environment that is safe, open, and respectful. If you care about your people, they will in turn give a damn about your business.
- Your business can be innovative while still embracing real-world constraints. Innovation is not some generic magic formula or methodology you can apply to every business. It is about working creatively with the reality of each individual business.
Innovation cannot be purchased from an external source. New ideas that come from within your organisation are more likely to reflect your uniqueness, and to be embraced.
Externally imposed ideas, especially at the strategy level, can also potentially erode your uniqueness especially if they come from industry specialists. Best practice means same practice – great for certain processes (like the sterilisation of surgical instruments) but often dangerous as strategies.
