In a recent post, Lindy gives an incredible piece of insight – “we all need to foster innovation in our own ways...but for those of us who are not CEOs or top executives, that means working within the cultural boundaries the leaders of our organizations have set.” This is an excellent point and really helps define the level of innovation to be expected by different levels within the organization.
As a non-executive, the only way for me to encourage innovation is through incremental steps. Hypothetically, if I were to go into the executive office or into a board meeting speaking of a revolution and declaring that the way we’ve operated for the past 40 years is wrong in today’s environment – odds are I’d be fired. Because at my level, disruptive innovation, regardless of how well based it is, can be seen as insubordination.
At my level in the organization, my job is to continue pushing the organization forward in the direction that was set before it by the board and the execs. However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t help us get their more efficiently – it just means working on small improvements on the train as opposed to completely shifting the track.
And I’ve done this - I introduced my execs to the concept of social networks and the added value they can add to the association and they’ve started to come around to the idea. I began to use wikis as a tool for collaboration so the execs and volunteers can see how they work – and now it’s been our web2.0 success story for the time being.
And I will continue to introduce new ideas and technologies, but the way I introduce them is by building off of our plan, because for me as a YAP and non-exec, I have to make it fit into our current strategy. I don’t have the ability to totally redefine the organization’s operations and goals; I can only help us achieve them more efficiently while adding some new value. It will take time, but it’s coming.
Innovation has to come from somewhere though, whether it’s an innovative exec or a board member, a third party to the organization, or a mid-level staffer or lower, someone has to serve as the agent of change, and depending where on the org chart they sit determines the level and intensity of the change inital change and the level of buy-in needed.
Be patient though, it will be worth it.
Thanks for reading,
bob
