Innovation In A Static World

"Creativity, as has been said, consists largely of rearranging what we know in order to find out what we do not know. Hence, to think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted."— George Kneller

With the idea that in order to be creative to drive change we need to look at some of the same industry topics that have been discussed previously, I set out to find out how we can change the way we're looking at the topics. So, leading up to HRevoution, I spent a great deal of time studying change management. I read several articles and book passages in order to better educate myself. I even took a more formal, structured, multi-day course on driving change through innovative methods. For me, HRevolution is a living case study of how change comes about and how our actions can help drive greater adaptation and acceptance. It truly is anEVOLUTIONwhere change is adopted slowly and it adapts to the needs of the individual, the organization, the economy, the barriers, the technology. You get the point.

One model I've come across many times throughout my sociological studies and in my career is Everett Rogers' theory on the Diffusion of Innovators. Rogers was a sociologist who, at the age of thirty, wrote that diffusion is, "the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system." Rogers basically demonstrated that change agents can be broken down into their rate of adoption. Here's a common model of how that looks.

In thinking how this applies to HRevolution and the take-aways I have from each session, I have a few observations.

1. There is a strong feeling that the excitement that comes with an unconference will be able to drive the momentum quickly in the industry. While I personally wish this were the case, it is not. As you can see on the curve, only 2.5% of people are truly innovators followed by the 13.5% of early adopters. I look at people in these two categories who seek out learning in an unconference format as the risk takers. These are the people who are helping create the pressure for change and they are the ones who can personally respond well to change. So in my opinion, people in the top 16% should really be seen as the people who are going to take new, innovative looks at old facts and come up with ideas to drive business efforts forward.
2. The “early majority” are needing more facts. It's not that they are adverse to change, they just need that little extra push in order to support and embrace the change.
3. What he labels “late majority” are really the group that needs to be shown WHY they need to get on board. They have numerous objections and will need many discussions to vet all the possible negative outcomes of the process. In my opinion, this is where many leaders fall. It's not that they won't change, you just have to provide a compelling case to nudge them in that direction. They may have more to lose when it comes to their credibility. However, get them in your corner and people will definitely notice.
4. In the class I took, we discussed the last group as the "Over My Dead Body" group. If you need a barrier, here it is.

As I think about all the topics that were discussed, the many take-aways in each session, the calls to action by facilitators, and the general unrest in the HRevolution participants, I say this:

I only believe weTHINKwe’re in an echo chamber. We live this day-to-day, but a majority of HR and recruiting professionals don’t. We are just at the leading edge when it comes to this particular view of human resources, talent acquisition, and management. The challenge for us is not to try to change the whole system, nor is it to get the Over My Dead Body group as supporters. It's about making incremental changes in the organizations we touch both as employees, potential employees, and consultants. It is trying to find those early adopters who can join in and accept new ways of using media to learn and collaborate.

Regardless of what type of new media you think is valuable to your organization, come at the problem with:

• A plan-Like any skilled business person knows, you have to have a well thought out plan and a business case to even get your toe in the door to start the discussion.
• Facts-Case studies and statistics to support the change initiative.
• Ability, influence, or power to articulate and persuade-If you don’t have any of these, you need to find someone in the organization who can help you fill this role. Look to the people you know who tend to be early adopters and convince them. Then, sell the idea to the powers that be.
• A backup strategy-What if it doesn’t work? What is the plan you can come back with that says you’ve already thought through several scenarios in which the change does not take hold?

What are other ways you can convince others to adopt innovative ideas you, or your team have? Please share them in the comments.

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