Test Your Innovation IQ

Innovation Imperative

As if you didn’t already know, it isn’t enough to work harder. It isn’t enough to figure out how to do it cheaper. Today we all need to figure out how to do what we do exponentially better. Our business and personal survival depends on it.

Technology advancement as the fundamental driver of growth has given way to business innovation. The resulting mandate, that leaders focus on developing an innovation culture within their enterprises.

Culture of Innovation

 Is an innovative leader the same as a leader of innovation? Do individuals drive innovation or is corporate culture responsible?

Success based on sustainable competitive advantage, achieved through a culture of innovation. Not an insignificant accomplishment toward which to aspire. One that is eminently achievable. And yet, much easier said than done. A culture of innovation is both ephemeral and palpable. Ephemeral in its creation and continuity. Palpable in its influence and impact.

Test Your Innovation IQ

A company has a high Innovation IQ when its leaders and employees have created an innovation friendly culture, which cultivates and rewards exponential thinking and chance taking, focusing exclusively on searching for successful outcomes, rather than expending further energy on failed attempts. Innovation IQ is trending upward when senior leadership understands innovation is the core business.

As an exercise, test your own Innovation IQ and that of colleagues and leaders in your organization with the ten questions below.

• In what ways are we innovative
• How do we track innovation relative to source, impact, rewards and compensation
• What do we do specifically to attract innovators and leaders of innovation
• How do we recognize and reward highly innovative people
• What processes are in place for involving customers in innovation
• How do we assess the Innovation IQ of candidates for employment, including their past impact on innovation historically
• What process do we use to determine where innovation is most needed, and where it will have the greatest impact
• What sort of innovation does our culture encourage and what does it discourage
• What is the nature and source of the pressure to innovate on our organization
• How deep is our commitment to innovation, what are the resistant forces, and how might we mitigate that resistance