8 Principles to Lead Innovation

One of the biggest challenges to organisations and untapped resources are its employees ideas and innovations. To this day most organizations still share the following barriers to innovation:

• Lack of language. Organizations don't have effective ways to talk about the innovation process.
  
  
• Limited scope. Existing innovation processes often encourage small, incremental changes rather than new products, breakthrough ideas or unusual concepts.
  
  
• Isolation. Departments and groups may be isolated, creating subcultures that are different from the rest of the organization and limiting exchange of ideas and information.
  
  
• Comfort with the status quo. People are often dependent on the familiar, leaving little room or tolerance for anyone with wildly different ideas and behaviors.
  
  
• A deficit of trust. Innovation requires structures that are supported by bonds of trust, confidence and respect for those involved.

Bob Rosenfeld author of Making the Invisible Visible: The Human Principles for Sustaining Innovation, says that all ideas come from people, but it requires innovation leaders to stimulate, motivate and encourage people in specific ways."

This combined with the sustained commitment from a high-level within the organization are crucial elements for ideas and innovation to come forth. Leaders need to look beyond the mechanics, techniques and results of innovation to the unseen principles of innovation.

He describes eight principles that underlie the human aspect of innovation:

1. Innovation starts when people convert problems into ideas.
   
2. Innovation needs a system.
   
3. Passion is the fuel, and pain is the hidden ingredient.
   
4. Co-locating drives effective exchange.
   
   
5. Differences should be leveraged.



6. The elements of destruction are present at creation.
   
7. Soft values drive the organization.
   
8. Trust is the means and love the unspoken word.