Most innovation processes I see at clients are designed to make life hard for slackers. The problem? They annoy the fuck out of your best people too
Big Co’s are inherently risk averse.
Sometimes from C-level down to the office clerks, sometimes only the middle management, sometimes only the lowest levels - risk aversion everywhere.
Yes, it’s partly good that big co’s are risk averse. That’s what makes them stable.
But innovation and risk aversion don’t go well hand in hand.
What’s the result? Innovation processes get risk aversion designed into them. Every concern anyone has becomes an innovation criteria.
Sure: that ensures that those medium great ideas don’t make it through and never get funded, but:
your best people are also annoyed as hell and can’t bring their best self to the game if all they’re doing is stakeholder- and innovation-criteria-management.
The question remains: how can an inherently risk averse organization enable their best people while weeding out the rest?
Inspiration through a conversation with Paul Wesendonk: so what's your take?
