Innovation continues to be a major business buzzword. Companies are realizing the importance of innovation as the last bastion of competitive advantage. Yet, the more I see people trying to be innovative, the less value they seem to create. The problem is that they focus on innovation as an end in and of itself.
The true innovators are staying focused on tough business problems. Their tenacity pays off through innovative solutions.
Once during a job interview, I was asked, “What is the most innovative thing you’ve done in your last job?” When I shared that question with several of my colleagues most smiled and said, “That was a perfect question for you, I bet you nailed it.” But, I didn’t nail it. I couldn’t think of anything. I wound up talking about a new design process that I’d developed. As I reflected on that answer, I wasn’t satisfied. The design process was interesting and new. Yet, I didn’t really believe it was the most innovative thing I had done.
I continued to struggle with the question and my inability to answer it. I’ve received a lot of feedback that I am innovative. It’s one of the key strengths that others generally ascribed to me. People invite me to help solve their problems and seem to think I add some value. I couldn’t figure out why answering that question was so hard.
Then it struck me. I don’t set out to be innovative. As a result, I don’t judge the final solution on how innovative it was. I set out to solve problems. Success is a measure of how well the solution solves that problem. That’s why it was so hard to answer that question.
The more I thought about it, I realized that innovation is not just about the form of a solution. It’s not how shiny something is or whether it makes cool whirring sounds. Innovation is a function of the constraints, barriers and assumptions that were overcome to solve a problem. Sometimes innovation lies within the simplicity of the solution.
Think about it. Washing your hands isn’t a very exciting or flashy thing to do. Yet, as a healthcare “technology”, it has probably saved more lives than all other technologies, medicines, and treatments combined. Now, that’s innovation.
The next time you are trying to solve a problem, resist the temptation to “innovate”. Instead, take time to understand the problem and its constraints. Then, focus on overcoming them. Your solution will add a lot more value and it will probably wind up being pretty innovative.
Yay! The Chief is back. Ich dank aych zeyer! Please don’t go away again for so long or I won’t know how to function in this crazy, mixed-up world.
Well done Brad. “Innovation” is definitely overused. I just wish more firms concentrated on the fundamentals. How about taking some time away from the innovative thinking to return a phone call, and keep a customer?
Brad- I found this post very, very helpful. At times I think I have understood “innovation” as accomplishing an outcome but with my emphasis being on a creative or clever delivery method as if the later is where my energies should be. Your point about the focus being on solving a problem and the “constraints, barriers and assumptions that were overcome to solve a problem” is enlightening. I’m going to try my best to hold on to this insight. I think you’ve written something here that is a real “aha” moment for me. Keep your posts going- I find them very insightful, as well as practical. They really add to my knowledge and influence my approaches to my work.
Brad has cut through the overwhelming amount of noise out there about innovation. In their quest for innovation success, too many firms are focusing on the process rather than on creating the right environment with good people and the right resources to enable them to solve the tough problems.