Innovation Education

Everybody’s talking ‘bout revolution, evolution, regulation, meditation, innovation, innovation, innovation*

Over the last two or three years, there may be no word mentioned more often in strategy discussions and business articles than innovation. Whole industries are being turned on their heads, and the development of products and services – along with their marketing and delivery – is speeding along at a dizzying pace.

It’s not naïve to suggest that if you are in business, any business it seems, and you haven’t started to development an innovation strategy, it might already be too late. Your ultimate collapse may already be inevitable. Sound outrageous? Try asking the former employees of Blockbuster, or Barnes and Noble, or Kodak if they saw it coming!

But, let’s be optimistic and assume that there is still time to avoid annihilation. Where do you go, how do you start? One of the leading global consultants on innovation has some tips for you, and I’m happy to share these.

Rowan Gibson has developed a solid reputation as a true “innovation guru” (although he might not appreciate that title) with his research on innovation, and his willingness to share what he has learned with others. One of the factors that may make Rowan so popular is that he has distilled his thinking down into a simple message. The core idea behind innovation is to see things differently, to develop fresh perspective. And the way to see things differently is to filter your perspective through four lenses. So, one basic piece of advice with four aspects to it. That’s not too difficult!

The four Lenses of Innovation, according to Gibson, are as follows: Challenge Orthodoxy, Harnessing Trends, Leveraging Resources, Understanding Needs. If you look through these lenses, you will spot opportunities that others miss, see things that others have not yet thought of. Let’s talk a little more about each of these lenses.

Challenging Orthodoxy – Deeply held beliefs about how your business should operate can be fatal. Don’t believe that there is only one way to do anything. Disobey the rules. Go against the grain. When everyone else is zigging – you should be zagging. Change the game. Be a contrarian. Take conventional thinking and turn it upside down.

Harnessing Trends – Understand the changes that are happening around you. See where things are going. Like the Great Gretsky would say, “don’t shoot the puck to your teammate, shoot it to where you teammate is going to be”.  Look for patterns. Identify new markets before your competition does. Look at what companies are doing in industries completely different from yours, and think about how you could use their good ideas with your marketplace. You don’t have to project 10 years out, but you should be thinking beyond the next 10 minutes.

Leveraging Resources – Your organization is more than just a provider of products or services, it is a storehouse of skills and competencies and strategic assets. How do you decouple and recombine assets you already have in different ways to create new solutions? Who else is out there that you could collaborate so that you both grow? It’s no longer about what you do, but what you know, what you are capable of doing, and who you can partner with.

Understanding Needs – Figuring out what the customer needs, sometimes even before he knows himself is a key competitive advantage. Immerse yourself in your customers’ lives and empathize with their challenges. Listen to what people complain about, and develop responses that satisfy those complaints. Stop telling your marketplace what you think they need, and start asking them to tell you what they want.

So there you have a simple “Innovation Equation”.  One broad idea and four ways to achieve it. It’s hardly trivial, but it is neither rocket science. Time to get to work!