Innovation and society

People working in innovation management appreciate that during the early stages of the innovation process, ideas need to be captured, communicated and evaluated against the firm's innovation strategy. Most of the time these interactions occur in the context of an office, meeting room etc. So what form of society is your typical office environment? Would Ferdinand Tonnies, German sociologist, consider life in the modern office as "Community" (Gemeinschaft) or "Society" (Gessellschaft)?

Tonnies wrote that, "In community, people remain essentially united in spite of all separating factors, whereas in society they are essentially separated in spite of all uniting factors."

In terms of innovation management it seems fairly obvious that most firms, although they may display some signs of "Community," are, for the most part, a form of "Society," especially in the case of large, international firms. In other words, individuals in firms have divergent interests.

It is worth bearing this in mind when presenting ideas to individuals/colleagues/superiors in your firm. When presenting an idea, not only do you have to contend with whether the individual has a clue as to how "good" an idea is, but you also have to consider carefully what these individuals' real interests and motivations are, as opposed to their espoused interests.

The Web is full of examples of how "experts" rejected ideas. Here's one from the Nesta.org.uk Web site:

"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."

A Yale University Prof commenting on a paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service by Fred Smith, founder of FedEx.



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