This is such a good question.
From my experience with many large organisations the biggest barrier is getting people to start the journey with you.
For many people innovation is:
– A fad
– Risky
– Extra work
– Not part of their goals or KPI’s
– Something that other people do
– Not part of my job and
– People believe they are not creative
This is quite a big list of real and imagined barriers!
To overcome some or all of these barriers i recommend to managers and leaders that they need to generate some small wins — quickly.
There is nothing like a good, positive and tangible result to get the innovation movement off the ground.
Much like a diet — you want some early results to give you confidence and to stick with the program.
Obtaining some early results can help overcome some of these barriers.
A case study:
For example at a Health Care company i worked with we launched an innovation program with an series of Idea Blitz workshops on some real problems to many of the staff in a series of workshops throughout the day.
We worked on some real problems and i showed the employees and managers how to Blitz and they then used this new creativity & innovation tool to generate some new ideas to these problems.
The launch was a big success.
Participants not only learned a new tool but they could apply it immediately on a real problem and generate some real results.
In fact, one group suggested changing the packaging of all the product that left the factory to better highlight the environmental credentials of the company.
Innovation is difficult.
Giving everyone the tips, tools and permission to be more creative and innovative everyday is a great start.