Innovation cannot be taught. But...
- Alex Booth
- Aug 29, 2023
- 2 min read
Back at the start of my career, I was sent on a course. Over three days, I sat through lectures and took part in exercises (that included building towers of Lego for some reason) so I could be taught how to innovate. What I learned was that it cannot be taught – you either have the ability to innovate or you don’t.
Twenty five years later, I have a different opinion: anyone can innovate provided they’re given the environment in which to do so.
I work for myself. If I hear of a new technique or tool, I’m free to investigate and adopt should it offer an improvement. Similarly, if a project requires a different approach to any I’ve pursued before, I’m free to modify or replace what I’ve traditionally done to ensure a successful outcome. This isn’t just one of the perks of running your own business but something that makes smaller companies agile and, often, successful.
But this often isn’t the case in larger firms. With hundreds or thousands of employees, it’s necessary for them to lay down rules and processes if they’re to ensure compliance with regulation, the achievement of metrics and avoid management chaos. Unfortunately, this can stifle innovation – if there’s seen to be only one way of doing things or if it’s perceived that challenging the status quo is difficult or unwanted, people will keep quiet even if they have ideas.
Here’s an example. A few years ago I supported a large international executive recruitment firm in the delivery of a complex assignment. I soon identified one of the reasons why they were struggling so suggested an alternative. The response was “if we do that, we’ll have to go through the approvals process again so we’ll keep doing what we’re doing, thanks.” In other words, it was thought better to proceed with one arm tied behind their backs than to innovate.
Innovation must be encouraged and supported, not suppressed by process.
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