Fear Kills Innovation

QA departments can sometimes appear to resist innovation.  In Quality we want to reduce variation.  Any change in the process upsets our control charts and sends our OCD brains into a tizzy.  However…

We also know that if we are not innovating, we are dying.  In this sped up world, stagnation leads to strangulation.  Operational excellence is great, necessary even, but, by itself, it will not keep us in business long term.  So, we have a dilemma, right?  Well, NO.

If your organization is not innovating, you need to look deep inside and ask why.  Keep in mind that the act of innovation requires a DEVIATION from the norm.  Deviations are risky.  The worker who proposes a deviation is stepping out on a limb.  A limb is a fearful place.

The response of the organization to the worker who proposes a deviation is absolutely critical to:

• The success of the proposal and,
• The likelihood that the worker – or any worker – will propose another deviation

If management ignores or disparages the proposal, it will go nowhere.  The worker and their colleagues will immediately get the message:  This place ain’t broke, so no need to fix it.

The ensuing silence from the workforce will be deafening.  The next sound you hear will be the death rattle of the organization.  Now the question is, What do you do about that silence?

The key is to recognize that THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE SILENCE IS FEAR.  Fear, incidentally, is the common cause for BOTH stagnation and poor quality. 

The fear that silences innovation is the same fear that prevents quality products.  So, if we address fear, we GET TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE.  How do you reduce that fear?  Positive Compliance^TM.

How about you?  Do you have a similar story?  What has worked best for you?  Comment below.