Can Disruptive Innovation Lead to Change?
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The following are three suggestions for inviting disruption innovation:
1. Wikinomics and crowdsourcing.
Wikinomics:
How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything is a 2006 book written by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams and Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business is a 2009 book written by Jeff Howes. Hiring for disruptive innovation need not mean hiring a new employee.
Wikinomics and Crowdsourcing both involve seeking collaboration with a wide pool of contributors. This could include hiring, on a short-term basis, contingent, freelancer or project-focused individuals or teams, even outsourcing to bring disruptive innovation without disrupting company culture.
2. Hiring a cultural misfit.
This is generally the opposite advice I give, but there are times when the misfit can be your best option. This is not to suggest you hire someone to cause a problem, but instead hire someone who does not perfectly fit your company culture.
This can include someone from a different culture, background, experience, or even ability or disability. But, keep two important considerations in mind:
First, you cannot set this person up to fail by letting him stand alone with new ideas. Instead, be open to hearing all ideas and managing the disruption they create.
Second, you may have to manage that person and the team a little differently, so you need to place him with a good manager.
3. Let your leaders lead for disruptive innovation.
Create a culture that encourages, embraces and recognizes opportunities for disruptive innovation.
Send your employees out into the cloud of social networks and encourage them to bring ideas back. Provide a regular forum for an open exchange of ideas. Social networks can be a great tool for giving everyone an equal voice.
If you do not have an internal tool and do not want to use a public forum, find a tool like Yammer or hold these conversations the old-fashioned way, face-to-face. Then, reward your managers and their teams for sharing alternative, innovative ideas.
Try a New Approach
Today’s rapidly changing economy, market and consumer requires an approach that can at least be prepared to respond to, if not lead, disruptive innovation.
Had Kodak or RIM acted with more disruptive innovation they may not have found themselves in their current predicaments.
Become familiar with the idea of disruptive innovation and ask your potential new job hires if they are too.
Related articles:
3 Tips On Social Networks Vital for Business
How Connected Employees Can Lead to Disruptive Change
Looking Forward on 2017 Tech Trends Disrupting Small Businesses
