Does it seem as though your company has no clue about innovation? It's especially frustrating in the IT field, where innovation occurs at breakneck speed in the industry as a whole, yet despite this most companies, even those in technology fields, are strictly followers. Are the boardroom executives to blame, as this article suggests?

"For many boardrooms, IT innovation is seen as a risk. The first question many senior executives ask when confronted with a proposal for new business technology is: ‘Who else is using it?’ Government will generally recoil from IT products that are not well-proven." - Innovation must be fostered, Computing, 08 Mar 2006

Yes, but that doesn't let IT executives off the hook. The article suggests (1) following Google's lead by setting aside a portion of the budget for working on "new ideas". Google reserves 20%, but anything is better than nothing. (2) avoid using technical jargon. (3) make an environment that fosters innovation. Good ideas? Sure. But are they actionable?

Google pulls off the first one because their leadership is composed primarily of tech geeks. Most companies have non-technical decision makers at the helm, as described in the quote above. What's a poor IT exec to do? Build a business case. Learn how to pitch an idea from your audience's perspective, without technobabble, and be prepared to practice, practice, practice until you get it right.

And if you can't wow them with a truly innovative idea, at least don't fall too far behind. Find out everything you can about what your competitors are doing. The fear of falling behind may be the best way to spur your board into action.

10:28:55 AM    
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