The problem with innovation

What comes into your mind when you think of innovation?

Most people, when asked this question, will give examples of cutting edge scientific breakthrough, state of the art product design or previously un-thought-of ideas. 

And they are right. Innovation is about the successful implementation of new ideas, new patterns or new ways of seeing the world.

The problem is that, these days, everyone has suddenly become ‘innovative’ and our relentless pursuit of the new has not necessarily added as much value as we first thought.

The huge cost of all this adding, using and moving-on is only now becoming clear; so much so that some companies have stopped asking ‘Can we?’ innovate to improve our products and started asking the far more difficult question: ‘Should we?’

So let’s take another approach and think about the possibility of innovation as consolidation: the relentless, disciplined focus to simply keep doing what we do, only better – more efficiently, more responsibly, more truthfully.

Perhaps you remember the series of Accenture ads that featured Tiger Woods? With the strapline ‘We know what it takes to be a Tiger’, one of these infamous ads made a simple statement:

50% relentless consistency – 50% willingness to change.

For me, it is this 50% of relentless consistency that makes Tiger the great golfer that he is today. And, again, the key is discipline.

So the question is, surely: how do we innovate in a way that enables us, not so much to do new things, but become better, more consistent, at the things we already do?

In his book The Ten Faces of Innovation, Tom Kelley seems to suggest that it is all about the person or ‘face’ that we bring to the jobs that we do. Again, it is not about doing more stuff, but being a certain kind of person; bringing a certain kind of perspective, pattern or meaning to the work that we do.

Essentially, Kelley suggests, there are 10 faces, which themselves can be divided into 3 broad categories:

The Learning Personas who constantly gather new sources of information to expand their knowledge and grow.

1. The Anthropologist observes human behaviour and develops a deep understanding of how people interact with products, services, spaces, tasks.

2. The Experimenter prototypes new ideas continuously, learning by trial and error. She loves to take calculated risks!

3. The Cross-Pollinator looks over the fences and translates what is going on in other industries and cultures to fit with the unique needs of their own enterprise.

The Organising Personas spend their time trying to understand how organisations work.

4. The Hurdler has a knack of overcoming or outsmarting roadblocks. He has huge perseverance.

5. The Collaborator helps brings people and groups together, often leading from the middle of the pack and establishing new forms of cooperation.

6. The Director gathers together a great team and sparks their creative talents.

The Building Personas, meanwhile, apply all of the above to make innovation happen.

7. The Experience Architect designs compelling experiences that go beyond mere functionality to connect at a deeper level with customers’ latent or expressed needs.

8. The Set Designer creates a stage on which innovation team members can do their best work.

9. The Caregiver delivers outstanding customer care, anticipating customer needs and look after them.

10. The Storyteller builds both internal morale and external awareness through compelling narratives.

The problem with innovation is that it has tended to become associated with the new gimmick that, in fact, we did not actually need; that added no value to our lives.

Truly innovative thinkers, on the other hand, help us find meaning in what we already do by bringing new connections, recycling olds ideas and bringing sustainable solutions to new problems, or simply telling the story in a different way.

Again, it is not so much about what we do as the ‘face’ we are that really counts.

So which face of innovation are you?