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MAY 2008
SMALL BUSINESS IT - KEEPING INNOVATION ALIVE
While getting ready for work the
other morning, a TV news story caught my attention with an
opening assertion of: Local trucking firm forced to shut its
doors after forty-years due to rising fuel costs. After
listening to the reporter’s key points and her interview of the
business owner, I was struck by how manipulative the story’s
premise was. A more accurate introduction would have been
something like: Local business closes after four decades due to
lack of innovation.
What is innovation?
In my current vocation as an information technology (IT)
consultant working with small businesses, I talk with CEOs and
other business managers every day. A good number of these
professionals appear to have a keen understanding of innovation
and the critical role IT plays in its execution and deployment.
In their book Behavior in Organization, Greenburg and Baron
define innovation as “the process of making changes to something
already established by introducing something new; the successful
implementation of creative ideas within an organization.”
However, far too many business owners lose their innovative way,
like the trucking firm owner. Businesses behave as if they can
replay their success, much like Dwight Clark might replay the
“The Catch” from 1982 in his leather recliner. Bill Gates,
founder and chairman of Microsoft put it best when describing
his business. He said, "By the time you realize you're in
trouble, it's too late to save yourself. Unless you're running
scared all the time, you're gone."
Adversaries of
innovation
There are several adversaries of innovation, but the three most
common are:
- Aversion to change
- Protection of the status quo
- Apathy
In the case of the trucking firm, apathy was the most likely
culprit. Combating these foes is difficult and will require
building awareness through education within the organization and
ongoing training of key staff.
For that very reason, a number of Fortune 50 and Fortune 500
companies require that their managers read Who Moved My Cheese?
by Spencer Johnson, M.D. It is a simple parable that reveals
profound truths about change. I have read the book several times
and it continues to inspire me. My favorite quote from the book
is: “If you do not change, you can become extinct.”
Ensuring innovation
There are two simple keys to ensuring that your small business
continues to innovate and is successful in doing so.
1. Owner champion
– Innovation requires someone to define the company’s mission
and lead the charge over and/or around obstacles. They also need
to fund these campaigns and encourage failure in pursuit of
success.
2. Experimentation
– Innovation requires failure. Stefan Thomke of Harvard Business
School explains that innovation requires
experimentation, failure, analysis, and yet another
round of experimentation. Keep trying; the process
alone will make the organization more competitive.
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Manage stress levels
Finally, small business owners need to manage the amount of
strain that innovation can place on their organization; too
little - risk slipping into oblivion; too much - risk bleeding
to death. The key is balance. In the final analysis,
small business owners need an IT solutions partner with ample
technical resources and a keen understanding of how important
innovation is to their survival and sustained success. |
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