Two years ago, author Gary Hamel wrote an article for Fast Company Magazine entitled "Innovation Now!". One might argue, given the challenges of today's business world, the title should really have been "Innovation Now – and Forever!".

It has been said the next "big thing" will be whatever makes today's big thing user friendly. In other words, the key in business today is to evolve – rapidly – and to do so by making things easier, not more complex. In simple terms, it is far less likely that customers will switch to a competitor if they see your organization in a constant state of evolution.

Leaders must find ways to institutionalize this logic into their organization, and to do so at every level. Since the turn of the century, it has become the responsibility of everyone in an organization to innovate, and to ensure they contribute to the constant development of the organization, its products and its services.

To quote Tom Kelley, CEO of IDEO from his book "The 10 Faces of Innovation" successful businesses build fresh innovation strategies … year-round and in widely differing parts of their enterprise."

Again, it's about innovation now, and forever.

The Home Run Mentality

Every organization aspires to greatness.

Some succeed, others don't.

In baseball, one might say that you'll never be successful if you only swing for the fences. In the business world, there is no time to wait for that perfect home run pitch. The problem is, too many organizations today are looking at innovation and success as though they are only allowed to take the high risk, home run shots. Therefore, with a lack of confidence, bred by lack of clarity or poor organizational direction, and combined with a lack of support for change, many organizations fail to even swing at a pitch.

Tom Kelley believes that this is a fundamental problem. He argues that organizations musts create a culture with 360 degrees of innovation. All sizes, all shapes – from bunts to home runs.

Types of Innovators

As innovation, by its nature, comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, it is no wonder that the innovators themselves come with a limitless set of characteristics. In "The 10 Faces of Innovation" Tom Kelley groups innovators into 10 "Personas", which he then clusters into three groups:

• Learning Personas
• Organizing Personas, and
• Building Personas.

His belief is that the personas are about "being innovation, rather than doing innovation". Therefore, by understanding the different groups, and their respective personas, organizations can begin to develop innovation strategies that permeate all levels and areas in the company.

Serial Innovation

To put a modern spin on an old adage, we have to think differently, so "If at first you do succeed, then try again – and again – and again".

These are busy times.

There is no rest for the weary.

Too many organizations feel that sheer effort is what it takes to breed innovation, but then fail to understand it is the act of innovation not the effort that breeds more innovation. The cycle is never ending. The pace has picked up. We are no longer able rest on today's success, because, to your competitors, your success was realized this morning, and they are already planning to dethrone you this afternoon.

The benefit of adopting what Kelley calls a "serial innovation" mentality is that your organization is then able to develop enough of a buffer from or lead over your competitors, that you can then spend the time required to develop the "next" innovation.

In other words, it is better to lead than to constantly play catch-up. The quest becomes an effort to develop a rolling-stone mentality in your organization.

The Devil is Bad

Follow this train of thought for a moment.

In organizations with a lousy approach to innovation, having a devil's advocate in your midst is a good thing. However, if you are lucky enough to have an organization that excels at the innovation process, having a devil's advocate can actually do more harm than good.

In bad organizations, the role of the devil's advocate is to inject constructive conflict and raise the emotion levels, causing the group to fight for what it believes in.

However, in good organizations, this sort of "roadblock" only serves to inject negative emotion into an otherwise successful process.

In Our Opinion
The Beacon Group's Keys to Locating Your Innovators

Look – The "old" school of innovation dictated a search for quirky, funky, out-in-left-field type employees. We now appreciate that anybody can be an innovator and – that being said – some of your best innovators may be right under your nose.

Lure – Innovation can be, and in most cases is, an emotional process, giving rise to passion and enthusiasm. Therefore, many of the best innovators can be lured out of their hiding places to join a cause that is important to them.

Link – By bringing different people together for different tasks, there is a greater likelihood that your innovators will shine above others and, with any luck, will take a lead role in the group and help them work to an optimal outcome.

List – Once you've looked, lured, and linked your best innovators, identify them on a list that can be circulated throughout the organization to be used in a variety of situations and projects.

Our Monthly Rant
Innovation is so ... last year

Too many organizations have stopped innovating.

Perhaps, there is a perception that all this innovation stuff is a passing fancy? Just another management fad and that we are now on to something better, maybe something like Six Sigma or maybe TQM?

The reality couldn't be further from the truth.

The buzz may be gone, but the need for innovation has not gone away, in fact, it has escalated. The fear then becomes that, if there is no buzz, there is no drive to innovate. In an effort to reinforce the need to innovate, every company should place a plain cardboard box in their lobby, for everyone to see, and place a sign on it that reads:

Please continue to think outside of this box.