The Myths of

InnovationScott Berkun /

@berkun www.scottberkun.com

QualityJam 2016slides: bit.ly/berkun-

qjam

The Myths of

InnovationScott Berkun /

@berkun www.scottberkun.com

QualityJam 2016slides: bit.ly/berkun-jam

Whoever uses the most jargon has the least confidence in their ideas

REIFICATION (n.)

when an abstraction is

treated as a real thing

THE MAP IS NOT THE TERRITORY- Alfred Korzybski

Words you should stop saying

• Innovative / Radical / Paradigm-shift• Transformative• Revolutionary• Breakthrough• Disruptive• Game changing

Innovation : significant positive change

Better questions to ask

• How do we make this better?• What problem are we trying to solve?• Whose problem is it? • How well do you solve the problem today? • What ideas have greater potential?• For what tasks? In what situations?

1. The myth of epiphany2. We understand innovation history3. People love change4. We love new ideas5. The lone inventor6. Good ideas are rare7. Your boss knows more than you8. The best idea always wins9. Problems aren’t interesting10. Innovation is always good

THE MYTHS OF INNOVATION

NARRATIVE BIAS:

We remember simple stories, even if false, more easily than

complex stories, even if they are true.

NARRATIVE BIAS:

We prefer simple lies to complex truths.

WHAT HAPPENED FIVE

MINUTES BEFORE?

EXPERIMENT

Success

Idea

?

Success

Idea

Proof of concept

Pitch

Prototypes

Plan

Acceptance of RiskCommitment

Execution

Diagnostic:

Where do good ideas die on your team?

EXPERIMENT

Lessons so far

• What happened before “the magic”?• What mistakes did they learn from? • What ideas were reused? • What experiments are you doing? Rewarding?

THE MYTHS OF INNOVATION1.The myth of epiphany2. We understand innovation history3. People love change4. We love new ideas5. The lone inventor6. Good ideas are rare7. Your boss knows more than you8. The best idea always wins9. Problems aren’t interesting10. Innovation is always good

WE ARE HERE?

9090% of startups in the U.S. fail within the first 4 yearsSource, Wall Street Journal 2012

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390443720204578004980476429190

9080% of new product launches fail in the first yearSource, Forbes, 2010

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/31/brand-flops-apple-ford-pepsi-coors-cmo-network-brand-fail.html

Myth #8: The best idea wins• Market timing• Persuasion / Advertising• Competition• Ideas are easier than products• We can’t predict the future

MagellanZheng He Amelia EarhartPonce de León James CookErnest Henry Shackleton

DECEASED

(died at work)

Ferdinand Magellan 1480-1521

Lessons so far

Innovation ≈ ExplorationDiscovery comes from taking risks

Who are your scouts for new ideas?What scouting habits do you have?

THE MYTHS OF INNOVATION1.The myth of epiphany2. We understand innovation history3. People love change4. We love new ideas5. The lone inventor6. Good ideas are rare7. Your boss knows more than you8. The best idea always wins9. Problems aren’t interesting10. Innovation is always good

http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/cpp/luddites.htm

• That’s not how we do things here• We don’t have time • We’ve tried that beforeReference: http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2006/idea-killers-ways-to-stop-ideas/

Idea Killers

AUDIENCE CHOICE:

A) EIFFEL TOWER B) POST-IT NOTES

Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier

+

`

Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier had to convince Stephen Sauvestre to work on their design

++

All three had to convince Eiffel to use their combined design contributions for the 1889 World’s Fair

"We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects …protest with all our strength, with all our indignation in the name of slighted French taste, against the erection … of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower“ - Committee of 300, Le Temps, 1887

"this truly tragic street lamp" (Bloy) "this belfry skeleton" (Verlaine)"this mast of iron gymnasium apparatus, incomplete, confused and deformed" (Coppée)

Progress is Change

1. People resist change 2. Creativity generates possible futures 3. But even with great ideas, change is

still difficult and slow4. Persuasion and perseverance are as

important as creativity

http://interactivetools.com/staff/dave/damons_office/

"As our business grows, it becomes increasingly necessary to delegate responsibility and to encourage men and women to exercise their initiative. This requires considerable tolerance. Those men and women, to whom we delegate authority and

responsibility, if they are good people, are going to want to do their jobs in their own way.

Mistakes will be made. But if a person is essentially right, the mistakes he or she makes are not as serious in the long run as

the mistakes management will make if it undertakes to tell those in authority exactly how they must do their jobs.

Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are

made kills initiative. And it's essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow.“

-William McKnight, 3M Chairman, 1948

"As our business grows, it becomes increasingly necessary to delegate responsibility and to encourage men and women to exercise their initiative. This requires considerable tolerance. Those men and women, to whom we delegate authority and

responsibility, if they are good people, are going to want to do their jobs in their own way.

"Mistakes will be made. But if a person is essentially right, the mistakes he or she makes are not as serious in the long run as

the mistakes management will make if it undertakes to tell those in authority exactly how they must do their jobs.

"Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are

made kills initiative. And it's essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow.“

-William McKnight, 3M Chairman, 1948

Progress is Change

1. People resist change 2. Creativity generates possible futures 3. But even with great ideas, change is

still difficult and slow4. Persuasion and perseverance are as

important as creativity

Photo Credits• 1507 map - https://www.levenger.com/LevengerPress/Excerpts/LPExcerpts_waldseemuller.aspx• Map is Not the Territory - http://www.personalityhacker.com/are-you-an-ambivert-personality/• @elenacu photo of isa15 - https://twitter.com/elenacu/status/667351442068529154• http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/220179466/• http://www.sxc.hu/photo/127397• http://www.sxc.hu/photo/653541• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Colosseum_in_Rome%2C_Italy_-_April_2007.jpg• http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/gallery• http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/cpp/luddites.htm• http://www.sxc.hu/photo/456847• http://www.sxc.hu/photo/618860• http://www.sxc.hu/photo/780429• http://interactivetools.com/staff/dave/damons_office/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/220179466/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Penn_Station3.jpg • Eiffel blueprint: http://boingboing.net/filesroot/eiffeltourblueprint.jpg▪ Eiffel Tower: http://paris-3013.blogspot.com/2013/01/paris-eiffel-tower-black-and-white.html▪ OLED iPhone - http://cdn3.ipadizate.es/2016/03/iphone-oled-640x318.jpg

slides: slides: bit.ly/berkun-qjam

book: bit.ly/mythssummary

Scott Berkun / @berkun www.scottberkun.com

Thank you.