Reflecting
on this entire learning process on Innovation, I think the three elements that
have impacted the way I think of innovation are the concepts of building a
bigger brain, the power of creative rebels and the intricate process of
innovation and all the steps and resources that are needed to get from the idea
to the final innovation. This class has
shown me how complex innovation can be.
McKeown lays out many scenarios and possible outcomes when you decide to
follow a creative idea through the process of innovation. There are many questions an innovation leader
must ask themselves before even delving into an innovation project. One extremely important element is a strong
and effective foundation: your team, such as choosing the right team members,
organizing them, and creating an environment that is conducive to creative
problem-solving takes good leadership. Successful
innovation relies heavily on the input from many sources therefore a good
strong diverse team is intrinsic to the innovation process. McKeown tells us that the bigger the brain the
better chance for successful innovation.
“Building a better collective brain isn’t just about involving more
people. It can also be about developing the creative skills of people who
become involved” (McKeown, 2014, Part 2, Section 1). I have learned that an important element of
the innovation process is to help your team be the best contributors that they
can. This requires that a leader provide
the right support and resources needed so each member can evolve and develop
their creative skills so they can contribute the most to the team.
Another
important element that I have learned in this course is how to become a
creative rebel, or what McKeown (2014) likes to term the rebel maverick. I resonate most strongly with behavioral type
because I think that challenging conventional thinking and thinking outside of
the box is necessary in the innovation process. I believe that true innovation requires one to
break through conventional barriers and see what others do not see (McKeown,
2014). McKeown explains “innovation can
start with wanting what does not yet exist – and finding a solution – or seeing
what does not yet exist – and finding an opportunity” (Part 1, Section 2). Innovation is about finding opportunities
where they don’t exist and the effective innovator is able to see this. The Maverick is not afraid to use the old to
create the new, to merge the old and new or to just start afresh. All avenues and perspectives are considered
and nothing is discarded.
Another
important element that I have learned is understanding the innovation process
and understanding when, why and how a company or business needs to innovate. Good leadership requires that we are
constantly vigilant of what is going on within the organization and outside of
it before we make the decision to innovate. A good leader has “the ability to challenge
their past, to challenge their core competencies and to ask “What is it that I
should carry forward into the future, and what is it that I should leave behind?” (Balasubramanian,
2013). Once you identify what you
have and where you are trying to go and once you understand the process that
you are going to follow, you can begin the process for innovation.
References
References
McKeown,
M. (2014). The innovation book: How to manage ideas and execution for
outstanding results [Kindle Version].
Retrieved from Amazon.com
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