The Dark Side of Innovation shares practical insights and looks beyond the shiny/bright side. How could the process impact your organization? It also tackles insights from the practice and myths.

1. The
dark
side of

3. Everybody talks about the
shiny/bright potential of
innovation and forget that
we are leading with…

6. Most key executives have an
aspiration that is mostly
an individual one.

7. We can innovate
for many reasons:
To achieve our KPIs our career goal
Marketing campaign
Integration of Customers
Alignment of Stakeholders
Efficiency Improvements
New value generation
Business models
…

8. Before we
start we…
…have to know what we want to do and why. The
process should not initiate by defining a platform or
methodology. It is important to discuss as openly as
possible what the organization wants to achieve. It
has to be aligned, internally. It is another story how it
is sold to the customers, clients and partners.

9. If not…
The whole innovation team will suffer. They will be
lost and could create their own purpose. This own
created identity conflict especially when they have to
return to their day-by-day work cycle. Therefore don’t
be surprised if they choose to leave your
organizations some month later. It`s a natural
behavior.

11. It is a myth…
…that we have to mobilize the whole organization.
Everybody has to innovate, create new ideas and
share openly what they know. For some
organizations it works but for the most it doesn’t.

12. Not everybody is creative
or innovative at work.
Ask yourself: Is everybody
strategic? Operational?
If not, why everybody has
to be top innovative?

13. We don’t have to
mobilize all employees,
but yes create a process that
helps to decide if they
would like to work in the
innovation teams.

14. Let`s talks about the
psychological cost of
innovation!

15. In the end the employee
has to lead with…
Unclear career and hierarchical position
Super exposure (risk)
Intangible KPI`s
No promise of return
Experimentation
Out of the normal bonus schemes
Political distress
Merging of hobby and work interests
…

16. We can create
a process…
…an innovation identification process , that helps to
decide who will join up in the innovation teams? Is
has not to be marketing, sales or traditional R&D
that fits this role descriptions. It could be everyone!
And yes it is a team, hardly the whole organization.

18. We have to collect
all ideas, really?
Have you ever thought how you will lead with let’s
say 10,000 ideas. Departmental managers are already
working on their limits. How will they find time and
resources to implement more X ideas and lead
projects? What impact will it have if you give a
negative feedback to 9,900 employees regarding
their ideas?

19. Do not collect ideas,
collect insights!
Insights are neutral. And you can apply them or not.
Let the innovation team use them, combine them in
new ideas and create something new. Innovation
needs convergence. Without it we live in chaos;
motivated yes, but lost.

20. There exists no
single…
…innovation process already developed, that fits your context.
Different parts from different methodology will more likely
generate the right value. It depends on your organizational
context which elements apply. It could be TRIZ + OPEN
INNOVATION + INTERNAL COCREATION or something else.
Experiment different processes in a risk limited environment.
Reflect critically what fits best for your organization.

21. There exists no
unique formula for
innovation.
Anderson Penha

23. Be happy if 10% of
the final idea gets
implemented.

24. Separate innovators
from implementers…
…because during their intensive connection with the
ideas it is hard for them to let go, or even to reduce
the idea to a MVP (minimal viable product). Handing
over the process can help to reduce team frustration.
Ideas are great but to turn it into reality often needs a
stronger contextualization and reduction of
complexity.

25. Don`t be
depressed.

26. Innovation
has also its
bright sides!

27. Daniel Egger
daniel@foltigo.com
@daniel_egger
danielegger.tumblr.com
www.foltigo.com
Anderson Penha
anderson@foltigo.com
www.foltigo.com