FORBES LEADERSHIP LEADERSHIP STRATEGY

Twelve Paradoxes Of
Innovation

John M. Bremen Contributor

I cover the intersection of purpose, people, risk and
leadership.

0 Feb 27, 2023, 09:17am EST

Listen to article 6 minutes

Effective leaders have discovered that successful innovation often is characterized by

paradox, GETTY

Effective leaders have discovered that successful innovation is often

characterized by paradox, and they address the following twelve
factors through focus and action:
1. Innovative organizations have strong innovation
machines but recognize that some of the best ideas
come from outside the machine: Corporate innovation
groups are often highlighted as hallmarks of successful
growth-oriented organizations. However, groups that act
solely as control functions rather than enabling ones
inadvertently work against themselves as they miss ideas
that could yield growth. While some degree of control is
essential for discipline and effectiveness, innovation groups
that focus on enabling others generate more and better ideas
as they support and elevate the best ones regardless of where
they come from.
2. Big, disruptive ideas are alluring, but small,
incremental ideas often pay the bills: Innovation
legends are built around moonshots – transformational
ideas that change industries and lives. The automobile, the
telephone, the polio vaccine, high-speed rail, the internet,
smart phones, 3-D printers, self-driving cars, COVID
vaccines, and chatbots all have been labeled moonshots.
However, most of the corporate innovations that have driven
trillions of dollars of growth are incremental ideas that build
on existing products and services. Both play a vital role in
innovation.
3. Small, incremental ideas often pay the bills, but big,
disruptive ideas may be necessary to secure an
organization’s place in the long-term: Organizations
that focus solely on incremental innovation may miss
broader industry shifts that ultimately disrupt their business
models. Frequently cited examples of industry giants that
did not evolve quickly enough include Sears Roebuck &
Company, Kodak, Blockbuster, and Compaq, as well as
 products such as the Palm Pilot, the BlackBerry, and the fax
machine.
4. Siloes can be anathema to innovative thinking, but
are often necessary for depth and execution:
Organizations need departments, hierarchy and structure to
execute on ideas, but they can limit innovation by reducing
collaboration and sub-optimizing solutions that require
broader thinking. Effective leaders successfully balance
breadth and depth for meaningful innovation outcomes.
5. Process creates discipline, but also can suffocate
good ideas: Effective process also is essential for
innovation. However, when process becomes too unwieldy or
overbearing, employees are less likely to bring forth ideas,
and ideas brought forth can be crushed by the process itself.
6. Psychological safety breeds better cultivation of
ideas, but innovation is measured by results: Even in
highly results-driven enterprises, effective leaders create
psychological safety for innovators by encouraging them to
ask questions, be honest, take risks, and not fear failure.
They build empathetic connections with their teams by
sharing their own experiences and explaining how they
addressed challenges. This leads to healthier environments
where challenges and questions are identified and addressed
more quickly.
7. Communication around innovation is key
internally, but confidentiality is necessary to keep
ideas from external competitors: Effective leaders
know collaboration and information sharing are essential to
innovation, but also take steps to guard against secrets being
shared outside the organization.
8. Failing fast and learning fast reduce wasted time,
energy, and money, but artifacts allow for future
 reconstitution and re-use: Effective leaders shift the
concept of “failing fast” to a mindset of “learning fast.”
According to WTW’s Katie Plemmons, learning fast is the
backbone of innovation, building on past learnings to create
successful new solutions. For example, Richard Dyson had
over 5,000 prototypes for his vacuum cleaner before
succeeding.
9. Timing of ideas is essential, but an idea that fails
one year can succeed in another under different
circumstances or with the right tweaks: Effective
leaders know that just because an idea failed one year does
not mean it will fail forever. Successful companies avoid
saying, “we tried that before and we don’t want to try it
again.” Instead, they say, “let’s try it again now with these
improvements.” Noted examples range from Post-It Notes
(from chemist Spencer Silver’s failed 1968 attempt to create
a strong adhesive for the aerospace industry) to Airbnb
(originally founded in 2007 with limited success).
10. Cannibalizing existing business represents a threat
to orthodoxy, but also prevents competitors from
doing so: Business leaders often challenge innovations that
threaten existing business. However, a greater risk occurs
when competitors innovate and challenge the business from
outside. Examples of products that successfully self-
cannibalized include Coke Zero (Diet Coke) and Pepsi Zero
(Diet Pepsi).
11. Successful innovation teams include deep content
expertise and experience, but also generalists and
process experts who look through a different lens
and ask new questions: Effective leaders build
innovation teams with a mix of roles that reflect diversity of
thought and create an environment where different
 perspectives and novel ideas are heard. WTW’s Oliver
Narraway writes how these roles include subject matter
experts, technology experts, sales colleagues, generalists,
futurists, those with specific experience, and a strong project
leader to bring it all together.
12. Innovators often feel like imposters, but don’t
realize that feeling is part of a growth mindset:
Studies show that innovators often experience imposter
syndrome, or feelings of inadequacy that manifest as self-
doubt or self-perception of being a fraud. WTW’s Paige
Seaborn writes how effective leaders work to change the way
colleagues think about self-doubt – seeing that it is part of a
growth mindset, with an attitude of “I don’t know what I’m
doing yet but it’s only a matter of time until I figure it out.”

Thomas Edison: “I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully

found 10,000 ways that will not work.”
Follow me on LinkedIn.

John M. Bremen

I serve as Chief Innovation and Acceleration Officer for WTW. I'm a global
business leader, C-suite and board advisor, and thought leader. I... Read More

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