Overcoming Barriers to Innovation
Why talk about barriers to effective innovation? Certainly it helps to identify obstacles to assist with breaking through to solutions, but nobody intentionally torpedoes a splendid idea, so surfacing what goes wrong is a powerful way to reduce missteps. If a barrier gets in the way, slowing or stopping further development, you’ll never realize its value. How many great innovations are left on the drawing board? Short answer: far more than necessary.
What are some of the major challenges, blockages or things that interfere, and their corresponding remedies to effective innovation? Based on practical experience and nearly two decades of teaching applied innovation (including graduate student and MBA programs on innovation for sustainability) and assisting countless innovation team, I’ll offer the “top ten.” Many of these may be familiar; others entirely new and different.
The first seven are internal — how we tend to get in our own way. The last three are more external — about the market, resources, or business dynamics. Each one is explained below, with suggestions on how to deal with them and break through to the “other side.”
As you read through this set, consider which of these, if any, have your name on them … those are the ones, once understood, that can deliver the greatest benefit.
- Buying into preconceived limitations
- Letting the inner critic stop you
- Lack of focus; inability to follow through
- Lack of vision, imagination or creativity
- No idea how you’d implement an innovation
- Lack of self-confidence, and it’s polar opposite cousin, #7
- Being disconnected from practical reality (e.g., overconfidence, arrogance);
- No business case
- Marketability, timing, or cultural barriers
- Lack of time, money, or other resources.
(click on any of the above to jump to the related explanation)
1. Buying into preconceived limitations due to FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) or false maps of reality. Making needless negative assumptions about what is possible, such as assuming you cannot successfully innovate. Stinkin’ thinkin’. Being too much of a “realist” and worshipping outmoded but familiar ideas, limiting beliefs, unsustainable values, ineffective strategies or principles (collectively “myths”). The mental model, story, or worldview is not the truth.
This is the tyranny of dead ideas and can be subtle, even invisible, at first. Examples:
a. The past equals the future (but if we don’t know history, we’re doomed to repeat it, so learn from that)
b. There’s a tradeoff between profit and sustainability* hover mouse to see reference
c. I can’t come up with an effective innovation … I don’t know how. [see barrier #5, below] How do you debunk common myths about sustainability, innovation or even myths about yourself?
Antidote (how to avoid this pitfall): bypass and stretch beyond what you think is possible. Act “as if”. Prove to yourself that a previously held limiting belief, or other misperception, is not real. Train your brain to penetrate and thereby burst these bubbles of illusion by systematically exposing yourself to new ideas, lateral, intuitive, right-brain associations (such as through mind-mapping, journaling, recording your dreams), or indulge in your favorite forms of creative expression … anything that takes you out of your habitual, rational and linear ways of thinking (comfort zones).
To transcend perceived limits, be curious and interested in how your own mind functions. Create a metaphorical “observation deck” from which you can witness (notice) your own self-talk. Challenge apparent limitations and test them to see if they are real or something you made up. Often limits are reflected in our communication, such as phrases like “it’s impossible” or “we can’t” or “it will never work.” Really? Never?
Most limits are made up by our own fertile imaginations as a way to help us make sense out of the world, or as a way to be save. By probing and testing the waters, you’ll discover that our imagination can be applied in exactly the reverse — pulling back the curtain of what’s possible and discovering something new.
Some use mindfulness meditation for this purpose, where you focus on an object (such as your own breath) and notice what arises. Gently label the thoughts as they are (“Oh, planning. I’m thinking about planning.”) and return your focus to the object you are contemplating, such as your in/out breathing.
The brain is extremely pliable (termed “neuroplastic”), capable of new and surprising flexibility if you simply practice and train for it. The more plastic and flexible, the better you are at invention, creativity and learning. It takes patience, but once you set the intention, if you allow enough time for solutions to arrive, you will also observe certain preconceived limitations falling away. Prepare to be amazed by what’s possible.
2. Letting the inner critic stop you. Giving critical evaluation more power than it deserves. Listening to the critical voice, AKA “the spoiler,” at the wrong times. Accepting critically harsh negative opinions over your calculated sensibilities or true heart’s desires. Letting criticism step on the dream or plan without requesting that such feedback be constructive.
Antidote: Ask the critic to “wait outside” until you ask for feedback, and then make it constructive. Within the imaginative loops, please suspend all judgment and criticism. Then focus on improvement and opportunities for learning.
3. Lack of focus; inability to follow through. Too much vision and opportunity to pick out the few top contenders? Perpetually getting ahead of yourself? All roads seem about the same – just different scenery?
The antidote starts here: What’s the real goal? What do you really want? What will that do? How will you know you’ve been successful? Write this down. Do it now.
For some people, the safety of staying in “idea land,” keeping all possibilities open but barely undifferentiated, provides residual comfort. This intellectual pursuit can be a safety net; for awhile, anyway. Develop a tighter screen, evaluate, score and rank each innovation according to your real criteria and then pick one or two for action. If that’s not helpful, you probably need to hire a coach so you can get out of “analysis paralysis” and begin to plan out how you’d do the thing. What’s the first thing you’d do to make innovation happen in the marketplace? When you take steps toward a plan of action you quickly discover the true potential.
4. Lack of vision, imagination or creativity.Acquire or develop the ability to think in broad terms, to envision a future that has the qualities and ideals that you and others would want to see. Tell someone else about this vision, however nascent or vague and together you can describe and add in detail to make it more real and believable. What would you see, hear, feel, sense, be doing (or not doing), look like, sound like, … and how would others perceive it with their own senses? Draw from subtle cues and examples of future possibilities that you find inspiring. Or simply adopt someone else’s vision as your own.
Not normally open to change, new ideas or possibilities? Kind of a realist, rationalist or skeptic? Open up the right-brain, associative and intuitive aspect of your mind … practice thinking laterally and not so linearly. How? Start by putting yourself into a creative and imaginative state such as when deeply relaxed, just before falling asleep at night, through meditation, certain kinds of music, settings, etc. Use a mind map to bring out hidden connections. Use metaphor, analogy, adventure, poetry, the arts (including storytelling) to spark new insight and awareness. Hang out with creative/artist types to model and discover their sources of creative inspiration.
5. No idea how you’d implement an innovation. Once you have an innovation in mind, imagine the thing fully realized, the problem(s) solved, and the innovation flourishing in the world. Step into that moment in the future when this has happened. What was the last thing you did right before that happened?
Now you’ve got the beginning of a pathway to success. What skills are needed to make this innovation real? What skills do you have, and which ones would you need to acquire or “borrow” through the contributions of others?
Reading this explanation is not the same as doing it. To truly respect your innovative ideas, you’ll need to come up with a plan and act on that plan. Ask for help. In history, no worthwhile new idea has been brought to the market as a solo mission. Forming your collaboration team is essential to realizing the vision you have imagined for the majority of innovations.
The social aspects of innovation — building a stellar team that works collaboratively and trusts each other — are often the key maker/breakers. But trust is more than holding confidentiality, it has been called “the heart of teamwork” (from innovators at SRI International). Without establishing your trust-based team, you will inevitably leave customer value on the table.
The quality of an innovation can only be determined when it is applied to real situations and customer value can be realized. Will the value manifest or fall by the wayside? We all have blindspots, so the only reliable way to ensure success is collaboration, clearing up any
We use a proven toolset called Manifesting Vision. What’s the first thing you’ll do, and when will you do it?
6. Lack of self-confidence. Though you are good at some aspects of this, and few innovations of value are ever brought to fruition by just one person, how can you gain the confidence in your own abilities to pursue your best and most intriguing ideas? Not every idea deserves further exploration, but at least some definitely do. How would you know if you had an idea with potential? Believe in yourself. Find people you want to work with that also support and believe in your vision.
7. Being disconnected from practical reality, an overly positive or biased assessment of what’s possible, unable or unwilling to question one’s own assumptions, disinterested in feedback or learning. This is the same but opposite of “buying into preconceived limitations” above, the opposite of #6, and relatively uncommon. Not enough “reality” mixed with passionate idealism, worshipping false beliefs, unsustainable values, or unnatural principles can be remarkably destructive. If moral or emotional development are lacking, this can lead to arrogance, self-aggrandizement, self-serving goals and ultimately unsustainable results. Lack of social and technical development can yield bold, dangerous and even powerful (if not short lived) tools and weapons.
Finally, three External Barriers:
8. No business case – no demonstrable way to make money with the innovation. Whether near-term or longer-term value, there must be a way for the business innovation to flourish over the life of the plan. Do the math. Make worst, best and most likely scenarios and test assumptions. Get feedback from would-be customers. If you can, get it writing (even a written expression of interest is better than just the anecdote about how somebody said they liked or would buy the innovation). If this isn’t fun for you, involve someone with analytical abilities beyond your own; ask them to coach you.
9. Marketability, timing, or cultural barriers. An innovation might be too far ahead of its time or too late to catch on, or if the intended market has inherent cultural barriers, an innovation might not become commercially viable. Consider the experience and world view of the intended market. Understand the market drivers, the sources of “pain” (sometimes called “pain points”), and the forces enabling and inhibiting adoption of your proposed solution? Why would the target customers buy or not buy your innovation?
In what ways do you resemble the target market? What are the key differences? If you were part of that market, would you adopt the innovation? If not, why not, and what can be done about it?
If the timing of your innovation risks being seen as too late to gain adequate market share (your solution will be perceived as quite similar to what has already been commercially accepted), what the “difference that will make all the difference”? New features and benefits, such as more environmentally preferable or responsible that the dominant approach(es)? Different target audience, for whom access to or awareness of alternatives have limited adoption? New delivery method? What’s the “new thing” and why will it succeed in the marketplace? How do you define “success” anyway? Come up with at least three measures — the “how you will know you’ve succeeded?”
If the timing is too early, as is commonly the case with innovations for sustainability (technology leads market readiness), what news, events, or perceived value must arrive before sufficiently widespread adoption of this new approach can and will flourish?
10. Lack of time, money, or other resources. That’s what partners or teams are for. A bit of leadership and effective communication can compensate for a lack of funding or other resources. Pitch your innovation to potential partners and see who is willing to participate. Attract others through clearly articulating what the innovation can do (triple bottom line benefits), the compelling problems or “market pain” that it resolves, and what is necessary to make it real. No time? Wait until you do or practice the art of deal-making to get someone else to run with the innovation.
Across all of these barriers, the antidote is to focus on 360 degree feedback and learning.
Which of these have you run into? Experiment, test some of these ideas, then come back to this article and add your views. Innovation is a perpetual work-in-progress and we’d love to hear from you.