Why Do Innovation Initiatives Fail?

A useful think post from The Heart of Innovation blog:

56 Reasons Why Most Corporate Innovation Initiatives Fail

See them all after the link but my favourites were:

1. “Innovation” framed as an initiative, not the normal way of doing business

3. Innovation not linked to company’s existing vision or strategy

4. No sense of urgency

7. No compelling vision or reason to innovate

8. Senior Team not aligned

10.Innovation champions are not empowered

12. Lack of trust

13. Risk averse culture

15. Workforce ruled by past assumptions and old mental models

21. Analysis paralysis

22. Reluctance to cannibalize existing products and services

27. Mind numbing bureaucracy

28. Unclear idea pitching processes

31. No way to celebrate quick wins

36. Lack of teamwork and collaboration

37. Unclear strategy for sustaining the effort

42. Innovation initiative perceived as another “flavor of the month”

44. Diverse inputs or conflicting opinions not honored

45. Imbalance of left-brain and right brain thinking

46. Low morale

47. Over-reliance on technology

53. No rewards or recognition program in place

54. No processes in place to get fast feedback

55. Inadequate sense of what your customers really want or need

Can you use this list to diagnose your organization?

Stephen