I read with some interest and trepidation the article in Co.Design entitled “Do Innovation Consultants Kill Innovation?“. Like many people who write for the web, I recognize a catchy title is meant to attract readers and create a distinct point of view. As a person who earns a living as an innovation consultant, of course I’m concerned when anyone seems to cast doubt on my chosen trade. So, perhaps it’s a good question to ask – should innovation become a profession – whether inside an organization where innovation titles are appearing with increasing frequency, or should we expect to see more innovation consultants as the importance of innovation creates a potential vacuum of innovation talent?
When questions like this arise, my first notion is to consider the past and look a previous disruptions in thinking or in technology. I’d like to consider disruptions because that’s what I believe is underway – a disruption to how businesses run. The traditional business methods are being swept away by increasing levels of global competition, free trade, economic calamities, the fact that the internet is lowering costs of entry into many businesses, increasing consumer demands and decreasing product life cycles. I could go on but frankly I don’t need to. Innovation is becoming an ever more important capability, and that disrupts the status quo, business as usual way many businesses are run and have been structured. So, if you believe as I do that a disruption is under way, then it makes sense to see how people and firms reacted to previous disruptions.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Innovation Excellence | Do We Need an Innovation Profession?
