29 October 2009

What would you call the enemy of innovation?

/dev/null : Weblog
I was interviewed recently on the topic of innovation as part of the Oracle Innovation Showcase. Reading back through it, I liked this question and answer:

Q: What would you call the enemy of innovation?

A: The first is complacency. A lot of people are satisfied with what they have. If you can convince yourself you're satisfied, you'll stop looking for a better solution. The other is an inability to listen and appreciate the complexity of a problem. Everyone wants to believe they have the answer before the question even gets asked. People don't take the time to listen and appreciate the individual complexity of each customer's problem and the nuances of their environments.