How you put 10 Stupid Innovation Questions to rest

I have been asked the same BigCo innovation questions over and over. This is how you can to put them to rest.

BigCo#1. It is hard for a big company to innovate. We are stuck on the Daily Express. What to do?
You: Then isolate innovation on the side of the big company: Make it your ‘Track 2 Innovation Train’.

BigCo#2. But the best people works on Track 1. Newbies will not have the clout to be trusted or push things through. What to do?
You: Then put your best people on the Innovation Train.

BigCo#3. I cannot take the best people out of the Daily Express. What to do?
You: Then don’t, just book appointments in their calendars when they board the Innovation Train. After a ride, they return to the Daily Express.

BigCo#4. We don’t know how long time innovation intitiatives will take. Then it is hard to plan and to make commitments. What to do?
You: Train itineraries are decided in advance. Decide on how much time you want to commit. Then book in everyone’s calendars.

BigCo#5. We cannot disconnect the Innovation Train work from our Daily Express strategy. What to do?
You: Then don’t. Book sessions for Innovation Train expo to the Daily Express management.

BigCo#6. Management will kill off Innovation Train initiatives too early. Innovation is uncertain and cannot provide certainty. What to do?
You: Then never expose information from the Innovation Train that you have not yet seen the result of. In other words: only show Daily Express management the information you already have tested and proved. But don’t show the proof, that is for next steps.

BigCo#7. It is hard to know what are the best ideas. What to do?
You: Then don’t scout for the best ideas. Do like Sherlock Holmes: Keep an open mind. Find all possible alternatives. Set up your outcome criteria. Then disprove alternatives against these criteria. Take away what is not actionable. And what has no emotional component to spark action. Check agains what your people will have passion for. What you are left with are the only viable options.

BigCo#8. With many ideas, it is hard to choose. What to do?
You: Put ideas to the test in a predefined timeframe: Prove a customer cares about the promise you will make. Prove that you can develop and deliver on that promise. Prove that you can capture value with a likely revenue model. Most of your ideas will be gone by the time you arrive to the d-day.

BigCo#9. We don’t have resources to do all good innovation projects. What to do?
You: Then don’t do more than you have resources for. Rank your startups. Then start at the top. Then draw the line (for now) where you feel comfortable. You can always work down the list later.

BigCo#10. Many of our innovation efforts take time and end up on the scrapyard. Often months and years after they were conceived, when it is time for big decisions. What to do?
You: Then don’t make innovation efforts something to ‘add to the mix’ on your Track 1 Daily Express. Use your Track 2 Innovation Train to solve what is so important to the future of the Daily Express that a solution must be found, yet is difficult to do as part of the Daily Express. Hint: Nothing works like a crisis.

Share this now. So we can put the 10 most stupid questions of corporate innovators to the rest. I can only hope…

Kenneth Winther is a former corporate innovation hired gun now walking his talk as Founder & Ceo of crowd innovation company Moonwalk where tomorrow is made by you.