Innovation and renewal requires your windows open to the world. Plenty of organizations out there are experimenting with models, far more than just a few years ago. Some models, such as holacracy [1], for example, are a ‘paradigm shift’, to use a piece of jargon. Big things, big time. Other experimentations are small(er), less risky and less likely to make headlines.
Everywhere people are trying to answer a nagging question. It’s not even a question in the first place. It’s a recurrent nagging feeling, a statement of hope, an expression of mild to big frustration: ‘Surely, there must be a better way”. A better way of being organised, of getting people on board, or being successful, of driving this machinery called ‘the company’.
In this quest, some people close their eyes and will call a Big Consulting Group which will come along with pre-cooked answers, even before they hear the questions. The Answers Traders are very good at what they do.
Other people will struggle and look for ideas, examples, inspirations, models. The temptation is to copy and install, as you would install a piece of software. Most models are not fully transferable. If you want to be exactly as Google, you’d better apply for a job there.
The trick is to steal a bit, copy, imagine, experiment, observe. Buy some ingredients from the Open Supermarket of Cool Ideas, but do your own cooking.
Be patient, but not too much. Be reasonable, but not too much.
As leader, create an environment where it’s ok to experiment. Don’t look for the Big Universal Solution.
Steal, try, experiment.