The Disruptive Innovation Checklist: Part 2
Champions, Independence and Rapid Learning
I recently published the first in a series of two articles where I distill my observations on my research on disruptive innovation into a Checklist. This Checklist includes seven rules to follow to establish a system that supports and protects innovation. This second edition completes the series.
Rule #5: Resistance to disruptive innovation will happen and many will seek to kill it — the CEO and the Board need to be its fiercest champions.
Be prepared to fight frequently to defend the need for disruptive innovation. Active advocacy by the CEO and the Board is essential. Success also requires that the Board and CEO understand the forces that will seek to kill off the innovation and actively take steps to build a protective support system around it.
This will not be a single battle where the enemy is vanquished at the first debate. Expect the debates to be continuous. .Everyone involved needs to understand the criticality of the innovation, what it is seeking to achieve and be prepared to advocate in support of it.
If you are setting out to potentially break the rules of what has been a previously successful business model, you will not be successful without CEO sponsorship and Board support at every step of the way. If your…
