Top 30+ key obstacles to innovation

Creativity has become the currency of success

As most of the tangible advantages of the past have become commodities, creativity has become the currency of success.

A study of 1,500 CEOs indicated that leaders rank creativity as number one leadership attribute needed for prosperity:

Creativity is the most important leadership quality, according to CEOs. Standouts practice and encourage experimentation and innovation throughout their organisations.

Facing a world becoming dramatically more complex, it is interesting that CEOs selected creativity as the most important leadership attribute. Creative leaders invite disruptive innovation, encourage others to drop outdated approaches and take balanced risks. They are open-minded and inventive in expanding their management and communication styles, particularly to engage with a new generation of employees, partners and customers.

Mind the innovation gap

Unfortunately, many companies fail to unleash their most valuable resources: human creativity, imagination, and original thinking. They lack a systematic approach to building a culture of innovation, and then wonder why they keep getting beaten to the punch.

The hidden barriers to innovation

Obstacles that will need to be addressed if you expect to establish a sustainable culture of innovation:

1. Lack of a shared vision, purpose and/or strategy
2. Short-term thinking/focus
3. Lack of time, resources or staff
4. Lack of “spec time” to develop new ideas and opportunities
5. Innovation not articulated as a company-wide commitment
6. Lack of ownership by senior leaders
7. Leadership expects payoff sooner than is realistic
8. Lack of a systematic innovation process
9. Management incentives are not structured to reward innovation
10. No reward and recognition programs
11. Constantly shifting priorities
12. Belief that innovation is inherently risky
13. Lack of systematic innovation process
14. Internal process focus rather than external customer focus
15. Inadequate understanding of customers
16. Focus on successes of the past rather than the challenges of the future
17. Unwillingness to change in the absence of a burning platform
18. Unwillingness to acknowledge and learn from past “failures”
19. Politics – efforts to sustain the status quo to support entrenched interests
20. Rewarding crisis management rather than crisis prevention
21. Hierarchy – over-management and review of new ideas
22. Micromanagement
23. Under-funding of new ideas in the name of sustaining current efforts
24. Fear that criticizing current practices and commitments is a high-risk activity
25. Risk aversion
26. Addiction to left-brained, analytical thinking
27. Absence of user-friendly idea management processes
28. Innovation not part of the performance review process
29. Lack of skillful brainstorm facilitation
30. No creative thinking training

How to overcome barriers to innovation?

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About the author

Torben Rick Experienced senior executive, both at a strategic and operational level, with strong track record in developing, driving and managing business improvement and development and change management. International experience from management positions in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland View full profile

About the author

	Torben Rick
Experienced senior executive, both at a strategic and operational level, with strong track record in developing, driving and managing business improvement and development and change management. International experience from management positions in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland View full profile