Article 7.4 Envisioning The Future

Not daring to take the risk of making the new happen, takes by default the greater risk of being surprised by what happened.

We must understand change and accept change as a way to update the old and bring in new creative ideas. Forming a vision calls for a capacity to take risks, to literally suffer change. This is distinctive among market leaders.

Forming a commitment to vision means giving up the present for a limbo state, somewhere between what is and what will be. Limbo can be a shifty, treacherous place. For one thing it is often chaotic. In fact it is the epitome of the ambiguous. We must tolerate inevitable resistance, and in the name of the vision, hold true to the uncertain course.

Not daring to take the risk of making the new happen, takes by default the greater risk of being surprised by what happened.

Current success will be achieved through the willingness of all the FSG team to look to the future rather than dwell in the past, to see the world as it is rather than as we would like it to be, and to move toward our goals boldly.

ACTION POINT: Be bold and endeavor to make new things happen.

Dealing with the Unexpected

How can you implement innovations that are totally different from anything you have done in the past?

Dealing with the unexpected is part of the innovation challenge -- in some ways the most important part, as unexpected challenges can prove life-threatening to an organization. From Henry Ford working on "a car for Everyman," to the IT specialist who moved banking, insurance, and stock trading online from paper, or the revolution in the music and entertainment industry caused by Internet file sharing, new business models are constantly emerging.

And in each case, established players were severely damaged because they responded too slowly, leaving the door open for new competitors, some of whom have become today's major players. To combat this, innovation managers should always try to answer the following questions:

• How can you search at the edge of your organization's radar for problems and opportunities?
• How can yo make sure your message gets listened to and acted upon when something important occurs?
• How can you implement innovations that are totally different from anything you have done in the past?

ACTION POINT: Be aware of areas in which proposed innovations could help make your organization both more vulnerable and more resistant to outside challenges.

Meeting Challenges

...you need to be thinking about the challenges that will face your organization in the near future.

Innovation is about adapting to an environment that is always turbulent and often hostile. It is not enough for a manager simply to cope with today's challenges -- you need to be thinking about the challenges that will face your organization in the near future.

Like human beings, organizations tend to view world in terms of what they expect. Contemporary business is extremely complicated, and seemingly distant changes can suddenly turn out to have a huge impact close to home as the 2008-09 global financial crisis amply demonstrated. While, for the most part, your organization can rely upon established models, radical changes in the business environment do sometimes occur, and innovation is essential to coping with them.

It is vital for the innovation manager to consider not only how to innovate when things are going well, but also when they are going badly. Some current factors that have the potential to upset established business models include:

• Climate change
• Sustainability of energy, and waste disposal
• Increase in digital commerce and telecommunications
• Social trends such as an aging population in western Europe and the US
• Shift in economic power to emerging markets
• The rise of consumerism in developing nations, especially those with large populations

ACTION POINT: Look ahead for the challenges that your business will face in the near future.