Leaders: Technology ≠ Innovation
“We prize innovation. Just last year we refreshed our digital presence and automated part of our [product development/customer service/tech support] process.”
Improving how you work is seldom a bad thing. Done well, it improves margin and enhances competitiveness.
And technology can help - much innovation hinges on it.
But innovation is bigger than tech, and broader than improving how you do what you already do.
Look at Kodak. As it perfected its film operations, developed digital cameras, and increased its margin, it neglected to look at smartphone sales. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Innovation typically demands a broader view and a whole ecosystem. An ecosystem that touches on:
structure and process: how much are you investing in your core business vs what might be next? How well is your team resourced when it comes to spending time on developing and pursuing new ideas?
culture and symbols: do your people enjoy psychological safety - to the extent that they can speak freely about challenges and opportunities - and innovation? How do you uphold accountability and the high performance standards that a learning environment demands?
power and influence: what are the dynamics of getting things done in your organization? Without the right conditions, your best people will take their innovative ideas elsewhere.
We help organizations address culture and strategy. Talk to us to learn more.
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Ellie Hearne is a leadership-communications expert and founder of Pencil or Ink. She has worked with Apple, Google, Kate Spade, Marriott, Mastercard, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Pfizer, Piaget, Spotify, Starbucks, and Twitter, among others, and has coached numerous individuals and teams. She holds a Master’s from the University of St Andrews and is studying Organisational Leadership at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. She’s been quoted in The New York Times and the Irish Times on workplace communications and in Business Insider on entrepreneurship.