"Innovation Age" Skills? LO14272

John Zavacki (jzavacki@wolff.com)
Thu, 10 Jul 1997 05:09:49 -0400

Replying to LO14254 --

Carol Johnson <carol_johnson@weains.com> says:

> >If so, what are the skills we need to thrive
> >in the Innovation Age? Are they different than those
> >required in the "Information Age?"
>
> I think the two are VERY different, and the skills required to be
> successful are equally different! I think the information age is rather
> reactive. You get info. and you choose whether to do something with it or
> not. Innovation on the other hand is pro active. Creativity and idea
> generation move people to try new things. It cannot be reactive because
> we don't know what's coming.

And the reason we don't know what's coming? Creativity and idea generation
are the way to innovation, but how do we know in which domain a new idea
is best needed? To create a new product, market segment, order
fulfillment process, we need to work from knowledge, which is gained
through information gathering and assimilation (learning?). Reactive
thinkers move on one data point. Proactive thinkers look at systems and
trends and other indicators which point to a needed or desired
improvement.

> Personally, I'm far more excited about
> innovation than information, so I hope we are entering into a new age and
> that it is the innovation age. I'm tired of reading and listening and
> basing all we do on "facts". I think it's time we all start DOING and
> going to the edge a bit. Action like that is more likely to bring about
> some quantum change.

Going to the edge without facts sound a little like making decisions about
the physical world while being in a sensory deprivation tank. With no
knowledge of temperature, sound, visual cues, etc. we're not on the edge,
we're over it. We can only be of value to an organization by being in the
organization, which means being in facts.

> As for skills... it seems listening and analytical skills were necessary
> during the information age. Creative thinking, opportunity identification
> and risk taking will be necessary to be successful in an innovation age.
> It won't be about following direc tion anymore, but creating direction.

I don't think this is a "right brain Vs left brain" situation. We need to
synthesize both the listening/analytic elements with the creative elements
in order to take risks which will not destroy the organization or
individual if they fail. Innovation doesn't have to be dangerous,
offensive, or even risky. Information and facts are the basis for all
creativity (you can't break with tradition, or establish a new paradigm
without recognizing and understanding the tradition or paradigm to be
broken) as well as a basis for determining the possible unintended
consequences of your actions.

> Perhaps the most important "skill" that will be necessary in an
> innovation
> age is that of humility. Admitting what we don't know and limiting
> ourselves only to what we can do instead of what we can't.
>
> I'm ready to start this new age NOW!! ~CJ

And that's a fact!!!

-- 
jzavacki@wolff.com
John Zavacki
The Wolff Group
800-282-1218
http://www.wolff.com/

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>