The big mistake made by companies or GICs who want to move from 'cost centre' to 'innovation centre'? Mixing Discovery and Delivery skills.
These terms are from the book "The Innovator's DNA". In summary, companies usually go from the "zero to one" phase using a discovery mindset and then from the "zero to profitable steady state" using delivery skills.
The book has five 'discovery' skills/traits: observing, networking, experimenting, questioning, associating. We've found this to be a very useful map.
In contrast, delivery skills are around high performance and low variability: project management, execution to a requirement and design, service etc.
Both have their place in the large scheme of things.
Both have their place in the large scheme of things.
Over time, a successful company becomes optimized for people with a delivery mindset. Discovery mindset people don't find it worth staying. The ratio is heavily skewed to the former.
Now, later in life, when these centres (typically tech-oriented) feel the need to find/show their innovation mojo, they usually begin with 'experimenting'. It's the easiest to get going with. Which means 'hackathons' etc. But the approach is often from a delivery mindset.
So hackathons have guidelines and SLAs. There is an idea generation platform with a process. There are even quotas around numbers of ideas!
So not so surprisingly, these approaches don't really pan out well. So what can they really do? Here are three ways:
1. Get in more discovery-minded people - it's usually easier than giving the delivery minded guys a personality transplant.
But don't isolate them - they have to infest the bloodstream. Tolerate more variability. Some rule-breaking will have to be expected.
But don't isolate them - they have to infest the bloodstream. Tolerate more variability. Some rule-breaking will have to be expected.
2. Penalize inaction, not failures (a recommendation from Prof. Bob Sutton). Find ways to encourage discovery-oriented action. Let people go observe customers, even if it looks like they are just hanging about, slacking. Let 'em mess about with the LEGO-equivalent of your domain.
3. A discovery mindset is largely driven by intrinsic motivation. So create conditions to suit autonomy, mastery, inter-personal bonding, and a shared purpose.
None of the discovery skills can be certified by a college, learnt from a syllabus, or built overnight. But there are ways to spot appetite for these discovery traits and to build confidence in those skills. How? Well, we've said too much already, haven't we? :-)
