Great Innovation Lie Responses

"There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept." -- Ansel Adams (thanks to Andy VanGundy for this quote although he does say it is *supposedly* from AA)

Last week we mentioned article by Jeffrey Baumgartner, the managing director of a Belgium-based innovation consulting firm.  In it he stated, "The great lie of innovation today is that it must be complex to be effective."

We asked you for your candidates for "The Great Innovation Lie" and received the following fascinating responses:

** From Tony Rodriguez:  Here is my top 10 list:

10.   Innovation is the responsibility of the NPD and Emerging Technology Team.
9.  We celebrate our failures.
8. Just throw more money at the problem and we can accelerate innovation.
7.  Innovation is only about new products.
6.  Only America can effectively innovate.
5.  Innovation is an individual endeavor.
4.  Innovation must be harmonious and not rock the status quo.
3.  Don't worry about fostering the organic innovation, we will acquire it and integrate it with our products.
2.  The beacon of new ideas comes from the "Ivory Tower" where the "Innovation Gods" reside.
1.  Who needs time to think - just pile it on top of your 120% work
load allocation and think on your spare time

** From Andy VanGundy:  Nice list, the first has been the one I've heard most often over the years. Another: "We just need to do things differently."

** From Jim Fay: My nomination is "We need BIG ideas."  (Jim and I had the very enlightening experience of working with a client who said he wanted big ideas only to gradually and painfully find out that apparently he was the only person in the organization who wanted them.)

** From Richard Weddle:
We value people.
We want what is best for our long term vision.
Well have a budget for new ideas.
We trust our people.
We learned from 3M, Tagament, the Microwave, Sony's early days, and will apply these lessons.
We serve customer.

** From Bill Brooks:  One of my favourites - My team is more innovative under threat of a deadline.

** From Keith Carey:  Software doesn't need documentation or quality assurance.

** From Tom Burk:  People will be more innovative if we scare them.

Comments

[Isabel Fouchecour]

Thank you for these... creative lies ! It adds to my tools a nice way to do a touchy thing (at least in french... or in France) : define creativity !

[Eden Fisher]

6 Myths of Creativity (from Teresa Amabile of Harvard Business School, as described in Fast Company, December 2004
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/89/creativity.html)

Creativity comes from creative types

Money is a creativity motivator

Time pressure fuels creativity

Fear forces breakthroughs

Competition beats collaboration

A streamlined organization is a creative organization

[Dewet Coetzee]

In ironic response to Jim Fay's response, a quote in a local (South
African) e-zine yesterday: "I welcome and seek your ideas, but do not bring me small ideas; bring me big ideas to match our future." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

[kris olsen]

Joyce - nice blog, great posts. You are tapping into the same audience I am so I've added your link to my site.

I am a wiki nut. If done the right way, I believe wikis are going to be the most facilitative technology for enterprise innovation.

Look forward to more insightful posts,
Kris Olsen