In the quest for business transformation, the pull of the status quo is strong. Any sufficiently new or different initiative will meet resistance that can prevent it from moving forward. Often, the source of resistance is unforeseen, misunderstood, or even insurmountable.
Building a successful and enduring innovation program requires that you identify the barriers that may inhibit progress — ideally, before you smash into them at full speed. Which barriers present themselves, and when, will vary, but efforts to predict and mitigate the key barriers can make the business less resistant, and more accepting of innovation.
In this latest downloadable resource, we share the eleven most common barriers to innovation. We present a list of the symptoms that accompany each barrier; questions that can be posed to help your colleagues and senior management better understand the barrier; as well as some solutions which may help you prevail.
I’ve always believed that if you’re not meeting resistance, then you’re still living in the status quo. So, while resistance is inevitable, strong action planning and change management work can be the difference between success and failure. Use this resource as a tool to better anticipate, understand, and overcome the barriers you will encounter in your innovation efforts.
One way to use this spreadsheet is to prioritize the barriers you are encountering (or expect to encounter), delete those that aren’t relevant, and add to or edit the “Potential Solutions” column so it includes just the tactics that you plan to try.
Download the resource in Excel form here, and check out other resources in our Resource Center.
Aaron Proietti is a Contributing Writer and Former Innovation SVP and Chief Customer Advocate, Transamerica
