Barriers or Opportunities - Recipe for Success

After my last post about Why Innovation is SO Hard, it was interesting to see Forbes come out with an article on the 10 Barriers to Employee Innovation.  While workload and resources were both named, I found it interesting the 'concreteness' of the items identified.  But at the same time, these "barriers" I think are the opportunities and if you look at it that way, I think there's a recipe for success written right in front of you to help your innovation efforts succeed!

1. Closed-Mindedness - your opportunity to show that Innovation is about asking "What If?" or "How Might We?"  The more the organization opens up and considers the idea BEFORE judging and saying no, the more ideas and the more open your organization will foster creative thinking rather than appear the nay sayers that is often heard.

2. Traditions - use the foundation you have made to support your trials at pushing forward.  Bank of Hawaii is EXTREMELY risk adverse, and our customers appreciate how secure and safe we've made their financial future.  Trying an 'innovative' approach goes against that risk; however, we've built this trust and with calculated risk, as you engage this loyal customer, explain to them and continue that trust, if you're open you'll get that trust to try the new approach, work through it WITH the customer.

3. Jealousy – this is not a barrier, but something that needs to be eradicated.  You all work and support the same organization – that’s one team.  So get every project or effort talking about the ‘team’ effort.  The team succeeds, the organization succeeds and therefore, the employees are rewarded.  Remove the support for individual contributions and focus on the team work. 

4. Money – rather than ‘budget’ for research and development, encourage the ideas.  If you cultivate good ideas, business cases will emerge naturally.  Then it’s not so much a matter of asking management for money to try an idea, but the ‘innovative’ idea is then brought to fruition through the same channels any revenue opportunity might have – but it’s that time that gets the idea to the point it can show return on investment that’s so important.

5. Generational Difference/Age – this is fact, no getting around it.  Instead, acknowledge it and encourage it as different perspectives together can help evolve ideas to reality.  You’ll need a team and the more perspectives the better the solution will not only produce results, but will be accepted by the organization.

6. Communication – this is a challenge so I’d say start with just encouraging people sharing what they are working on, no matter how ‘boring’ the project is, sharing the awareness of what the organization is look at becomes so insightful that often many natural teams will emerge that want to help the project, whether or not they’re part of the official team.  The biggest thing – share WHY a project is underway, an idea was not implemented or there are changes – knowing why will get the buy in even if they don’t agree, they understand.

7. Size – Figure out what works – a large company is just a bunch of smaller teams.  Get each team innovation in their groups and it bubbles up to an innovative organization.  And when you’re talking culture change, changing habits and mindsets, acknowledge the larger the size the longer the time – so if you’re a large company, its okay if it takes time, don’t stop!

8. Education – I’d push this back to communication.  Those who see something interesting, learn something, try something – share it with others.  Have your organization educating itself.  If everyone learned one thing or found one piece of information interesting and shared it, you’d have a plethora of new information that sparks ideas!  That’s what you want, not to learn how to innovate but to plant the seed to feel like you want to ask “What if” or “Why”.

9. Thought Leadership – to me, simply act in your leadership role the way you want others to act.  Culture change is inspired – when people see you doing things, reaching out and sharing, they will feel encouraged to do the same.  Set the example and then you won’t have to force, they will want to embrace the mentality on their own.

10. Resources – this is a secondary concern, focus on the idea, the value.  Do this while inspiring then people will find the resources.  You’d be amazed when an idea starts from the ground up how excited people get and how much time they put into it.  Watch a simple team building activity, like our recent costume contest – people put time and effort and were extremely creative and innovative with their designs, supporting an organizational function all without pay – imagine this was a revenue generating idea for the organization!!

I’m thinking that this recipe above would be great topics for future discussion – how you’re doing it and sharing lessons learned from Bank of Hawaii!