Are you in an innovation rut?

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting a different result each time." Albert Einstein

Print this list, and take it into your next meeting. Score one point each time a phrase is used, plus bonus points as indicated. Score more than 5, and you've got an organization that is innovation-adverse. Score 10 or more, and you are innovation dead. 15 or more, and you might as well close up shop - or immediately book Jim for guidance!

1. "We've always done it this way" (3 bonus points):
2. "It won't work"
3. "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard"
4. "That's not my problem"
5. "You can't do that"
6. "I don't know how"
7. "I don't think I can"
8. I didn't know that"
9. "The boss won't go for it" (5 bonus points)
10. "Why should I care?" (10 bonus points)

10 Signs that you've got an innovation dysfunction

• People laugh at new ideas
• Someone who identifies a problem is shunned
• Innovation is the privileged practice of a special group
• The phrase, "you can't do that because we've always done it this way" is used for every new idea
• No one can remember the last time anyone did anything really cool
• People think innovation is about R&D
• People have convinced themselves that competing on price is normal
• The organization is focused more on process than success
• There are lots of baby boomers about, and few people younger than 25
• After any type of surprise -- product, market, industry or organizational change -- everyone sits back and asks, "wow, where did that come from?"
• Innovative companies act differently. In these organizations

How do innovative organizations differ?

• Ideas flow freely throughout the organization
• subversion is a virtue
• success and failure are championed
• there are many, many leaders who encourage innovative thinking, rather than managers who run a bureacracy
• there are creative champions throughout the organization -- people who thrive on thinking about how to do things differently
• ideas get approval and endorsement
• rather than stating "it can't be done," people ask, "how could we do this?"
• people know that in addition to R&D, innovation is also about ideas about to "run the business better, grow the business and transform the business"
• the word "innovation" is found in most job descriptions as a primary area of responsibility, and a percentage of annual renumeration is based upon achievement of explicitly defined innovation goals

The fact is, every organization should be able to develop innovation as a core virtue -- if they aren't, they certainly won't survive the rapid rate of change that envelopes us today.