Innovation Part II - A Leap of Faith

We know that in order to create value, organisations must put in place processes that would empower stakeholders in taking the initiatives to come up with innovation value proposition.

While creating innovative solutions are important, the end result must be greater than the sum of its individual components. In other words, it is the business model encapsulating the key essence of the proposition, translated into a simple, yet powerful brand message (metaphor) that will make an lasting impact on the customers.

The question is whether innovation can be taught and how to incorporate it within the strategy road mapping. When we were asked by our clients to help out in developing a strategic framework, we detect a high level of anxiety and as a result there is a strong tendency to micro-manage. We all know that it is next to impossible to micro-manage and yet be innovative.

To mitigate such anxieties, we find it useful to use metaphor and analogy.

We would start by asking whether process owners have ridden a bicycle before. If so, they can relate to the following observations. It is very difficult to balance a bicycle while it is stationary. A lot of people believe that you must first balance the bike before you can ride it. On the contrary, it is when you are in the process of moving forward, that you discover your balance. However, a lot of people do not understand this logic. Only after many attempts and bruises from falling off the bike, the eureka moment arrives and the rider suddenly discovers he is able to ride the bike without falling off.

The key takeaway is that you need the courage to pedal, move forward and during the process ( journey ) discover new possibilities, doing things in a new way.

A pre-requisite for success in innovation includes:
a) the right core ideology i.e. values like courage, confidence and conviction,
b) the right people onboard,
c) coaching tool that would objectively measures value drivers, helping manage the resources more productively,
d) provide proper rewards and incentives.

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