April 2001

Innovation Tips

…ideas to help you foster collaborative innovation

===================================================

Organized Abandonment—Unplugging the TV

Sometimes, what we choose to unlearn is as important as what we learn. Letting go is hard for us all; we all tend to resist change. We get comfortable with the way things are and our natural tendency is to preserve the status quo. But we have only so much time and so many resources. If we are to pursue that which contributes to growth, greater effectiveness, and a more significant product or service, we must often unlearn—abandon—old practices.

Jim Collins (co-author of Built to Last) shared a personal story at a national conference of religious leaders to make that point. He had set a goal of reading and absorbing two new books per week, wanting to add value to his consulting practice as well as to his own personal development. He said that he identified one room in his home that he would use as his study and equipped it with all the right stuff—a comfortable reading chair, desk, book shelves and reading light.

But the initiative failed in the early going. Instead of spending the time reading, as he intended, he found himself slipping back into the old habit, the old ritual, of turning on the TV just to see what was on. Once the TV was on, he was hooked. His decision to read two books per week was sabotaged by his old habit of watching TV.

When he realized what was going on, he not only unplugged the TV, he called a relative to come and take it away—free of charge—just to get it out of his house. Only then did he make the time for his new, more personally profitable commitment.

We could all probably identify some similar personal addiction and people collectively fall victim to similar habits in organizations. The highly innovative organization, however, regularly puts every practice, every market, every distribution channel, every customer or client, and every product on trial for its life. The question that must continually be asked is this: If we were not doing this already, would we choose to do it now?

If the answer is no, then whatever it is may need to be discontinued.

If it is stunting the growth of the organization, or obstructing the development of something more promising, then it may need to be abandoned. Sometimes, only by shedding old approaches can we make way for the revitalizing new.

What is the old habit, the outmoded process, the long-held rule that no longer applies, that may be holding your organization back from a better way? Identify it and “unplug it,” and you will have enabled some new approach to enhancing organizational performance.

__________________________________________

INNOVATION TIPS is a monthly letter provided by

PARTNERS for INNOVATION.

To subscribe, please register at our web site: www.greatwing.com.

We can be reached by e-mail at: partners@greatwing.com

or by phone at 1.419.872.7140

Copyright (c) 2001, Partners for Innovation. Permission

is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute INNOVATION

TIPS provided that this copyright notice and full

information about contacting the authors is attached.