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Stop Sabotaging Your Ability to Innovate

Are You Stuck?


Our success can be also our biggest enemy for innovation. Why?


Because when we take our first steps to create our future, we will certainly make mistakes. Those mistakes are big learning opportunities and by learning from them we continuously gain new experience. We apply this new experience and become more successful. It is like an automatic reinforcement wheel: by applying this experience we will get confirmed and motivated to do more of the same.


Until we get stuck.


In academic literature this is referred to as the “path dependency” where you will finally find yourself or the company in a “lock-in” situation.


To break out of this “lock-in” or stuck, it requires courage to do something new, because the conformity pressure of the social organization, your expectation in life and the fear of loss are very powerful factors which prevent to do something new.


Additionally, there is a natural tension between execution and enhancing of your business: whilst the first needs fine management skills in planning, organizing and implementing combined with rules, regulations and controlling, the second one require the dynamic capabilities of sensing and seizing of opportunities to finally reconfiguring your business.


Flugzeug, Doppledecker
In 1917, this FK23 Bantam was a feather-light aircraft. The super fast engine, however, was not fully worked out. Testing period took too long, the airplane never saw action.

When I fELT the need for a Systems Change


After more than 22 years in top management position in the industry I decided to do something completely new:


To unlock the intuitive power of people, combine it with integral-systemic ways of doing to create a new way of shaping the future.


For evangelists of the cartesian science this is a very peculiar approach. So why should I give up a highly paid top management position to do something where most of the people find it is strange?


The reason is, because I have seen all kinds of negative effects current management and leadership practices have in business, in academia, in society and in the environment.


The system is stuck.


Current ways of doing will not improve – or at least only little, the situation. I am passionate to innovate new ways of doing to contribute to fundamental systems change.


From Inventions to Innovation


In my work in the industry and in my academic research, I have learned the features which transforms inventions into successful innovations:


Uncertainty, loneliness and your internal critical voice.


The best way of evaluating an innovation whether it is going to be successful is when it gets rejected the first place.


The learning then is to reframe the rejection and to use the appropriate language of the system which allows you the “sneak in” the innovation in a way that people will apply and whilst applying it will be successful.



Flugzeug, Propeller, Motorsegler
In the back: a HB23, the genious invention of a motorized glider with propeller in the back. In the front: the cockpit of a modern Katana DV20. Both Austrian inventions.


Do you Feel Stuck?


Even if there is a feeling of stuck, we shall embrace it.

Stuck is not negative, is an invitation for improvement.

Stuck is not sustainable, it will move.

Most importantly: It is not you who is the stuck.


 

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