Innovation vs. Adaptability in the Workplace

The ability to innovate is an interesting concept. Not to be confused with adaptability. Many individuals who come from a background in research have difficulty in reconciling the difference between the two. Most persons interviewing for your average job do so with the expectation that they are entering an environment where there is an already established set of expectations, fully conceived vision and a well-communicated plan to get there. The expectation is that each employee will do certain things that will aid in the movement towards the accomplishment of that goal. If widgets are our business, we want you to be the best widget builder you can be. Or we want you to be the best widget counter you can be. Or we want you to be the best widget sales and marketing or customer service rep that you can. The underlying assumption is that we have a plan that you are to use to get you from point A to point B without much messing around with the formula to do so.

The exception to such an environment would be someplace like Google or Apple – where the ability to innovate clearly IS the point of the business. In these cases, it is not merely acceptable to maintain the status quo in most positions – otherwise their position is in manufacturing or customer service or working the line within the warehouse. The challenge within the workplace manifests itself when personalities who do not embrace this key difference are in leadership positions. It is like letting loose the computer geeks usually relegated to the dungeon where they can freely exist in their own world onto the rest of population. Usually the problem is that their poor socialization skills brings about offense and insensitivity and creates a hotbed of controversy as they continuously force unreasonable expectations on their “subjects.” And a primary way in which they do this is by establishing an expectation of true innovation. But most folks in the business of innovating are entrepreneurs. And not everyone is an entrepreneur.

In most instances, because of the nature of the majority of humankind, and the inherent tendancy to be creatures of comfort, we do our best (and often worst) work only after we have developed a proficiency that only comes as we perform a task or do a particular job repetitively. This is how we become "expert" in a specific task or area. It is out of this development of expertise that innovation may come - but more often than not, change occurs in a more gradual, natural manner. The risk involved in an organization's adaptation to changing business and social landscapes is markedly different than that of an environment that makes risk their business.

 

Until the human resources enterprise is equipped and able to successfully identify the conflicts that result, the organization will always be in danger of being hardwired to cannibalize itself – thereby leading to its own demise and ultimately, failure.