12 Barriers to Getting Buy-In for Corporate Innovation
When it comes to executive buy-in for innovation, or a lack thereof, it comes down to overcoming one or more of the following factors.
Decision-makers are motivated to act in their own best interests. instead of the long-term interests of the organization they represent.
Favoring the immediate over the long-term.
[Check out this list of 36 cognitive biases plaguing innovation]
‘Fight the last war’: decision-makers are motivated to follow the thinking and strategies that got them to where they are today, rathan the strategies that will get them to where they need to be tomorrow.
A misconception that investing in innovation is risky and costly. It doesn’t have to be. The risk of not experimenting with new ideas is paradoxically much greater than doing nothing.
Modern management literature advocates for ‘radical transparency’ and ‘extreme ownership’. However, a ‘culture of blame’ is still pervasive across many large organizations today. As a result, decision-makers are afraid to deviate from the tried and true path for fear of failure. This fear of failure is manifest in steering committees, work groups and the hiring of expensive top-tier consultants.
- Psychological: social factors such as identity, belonging and wanting to be liked. Think conventional reasoning such as “what will people think?”.
- Biological: senior executives at large organizations might shy away from novelty and uncertainty because of hyperactive risk receptors in the brain - such as the amygdala and frontal lobes.
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The WorkFlow podcast is hosted by Steve Glaveski with a mission to help you unlock your potential to do more great work in far less time, whether you're working as part of a team or flying solo, and to set you up for a richer life.
To help you avoid stepping into these all too common pitfalls, we’ve reflected on our five years as an organization working on corporate innovation programs across the globe, and have prepared 100 DOs and DON’Ts.
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