BOF 3.0 - Innovation Fatigue Session

The second of the Brightidea Birds of a Feather (BOF 3.0) unconference discussion sessions I attended posed the question - Is there such a thing as innovation fatigue?

Here are some of the key insights and comments from the session:

• You can't run people in crisis mode forever. If you create an innovation panic, your people and organization will get innovation fatigue.


• How can you throttle up and down both the top and bottom of the innovation funnel?


• Sometimes you accumulate too many ideas to develop, and other times you don't have enough.


• Any innovation approach should pay attention to the pacing and have learning built in (a feedback loop)


• How much change can people handle?


• Should innovation be part of the regular job for everyone in the organization?


• Should you have an annual innovation plan?


• Would more than two innovation jams per year be too much?


• Should ideation really be fully separate from implementation?


• Is it possible for people to not have enough time to innovate AND to have innovation fatigue?


• If the cynicism starts, you're in trouble. Innovation efforts have to show tangible results to receive continued support.


• It can be empowering to line managers to have someone owning and driving innovation.

Overall for me the key takeway was that a structured approach to innovation is needed that clearly lays out:

• Why innovation is important and that it is never 'done'


• The organization's innovation strategy and goals (yes they are different)


• The organization's innovation policies and processes


• The employees' role in innovation, how to contribute, and why to contribute


• How progress will be measured and results will be communicated

What are your thoughts or experience?


More from the Brightidea Birds of a Feather (BOF 3.0):

• BOF 3.0 - Ruffle Your Innovation Feathers


• BOF 3.0 - Culture of Innovation Session

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Braden Kelley is the editor of Blogging Innovation and founder of Business Strategy Innovation, a consultancy focusing on innovation and marketing strategy. Braden is also @innovate on Twitter.