by Freddy Tran Nager, Founder of Atomic Tango + Guy Who Likes Being Heard, Not Herded; photo by davide ragusa on Unsplash…
Investors, entrepreneurs, and execs all love talking about “disruption,” so much so that they’ve worn out the word. But few companies can deliver that level of innovative thinking. The reason?
Before they can disrupt an industry, they need to disrupt their own corporate cultures.
If they want their employees to be innovative, they must stop hiring for “cultural fit.” Innovation requires people who see a business differently.
Indeed, if the corporate culture isn’t generating any ideas whatsoever, it’s likely because all the employees have become conformist “team players.”
And conformity is the enemy of innovation.
To disrupt that lockstep thinking, companies need to bring in one or more outsiders who just don’t fit. That outsider could be an agency, a consultant, or an employee from another office — ideally one in another country.
At the same time, they should remove or reassign managers who shoot down new ideas and try to get the newcomers to do things “the way they’re done around here.”
Will this experiment be smooth and pretty and conflict free? They should hope not. Because conflict with the status quo is what disruption is all about.
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Yes, “disruption” must go in the trash bin with all the other sad buzzwords. The worst part about conformity is that it’s self-perpetuating, and produces sameness which is the mortal enemy of marketing. Thanks for the wakeup call! ?
We should create a “buzzbin” for all the catch phrases and words that have worn out their welcome!