The Mad Ones

When geek culture thrives, innovation happens

There is a cartoon I saw several years back often used as an allegory of the travails of sales. It applies equally well however to anyone that has tried to present a novel solution to a problem.

This is often the constraint large enterprises face when trying to innovate. They want to foster a culture that spawns the next breakout products. Yet new ideas often get squashed under the weight of bureaucracy and politics and existing workloads that stifle creativity.

To get around corporate roadblocks, many companies have created outside hubs to unleash pent up innovation. They launched Digital Factories or Innovation Centres to bring fresh ideas into the organization, only to run into “it will never work here” or “not on my watch”.

What passes for innovation at most companies is the equivalent of a new flavor of toothpaste in updated packaging. Small iterations guided by marketers, focus groups, and bean counters. In other words, the type of new thinking that does not rock the boat or step on anyone’s toes.