Critical Literature: The Innovator’s DNA
Innovation is a term we often use in our daily lives in recent years. Despite being such a frequently used term, quite a few people know its true meaning. For the purposes of surviving in such a rapidly changing competitive environment, the companies must constantly change and innovate their products, services and production methods, which is referred to as “innovation”. When the term is gone over in detail in terms of its lexical meaning, its meaning can be expressed as a fact consisting of a new or improved product, technology and service, and processes required to make them revenue generating.
One thing remembered with innovation is, who realises the innovations. Such innovators as Steve Jobs (Apple), Pierre Omidyar (Ebay) and Amancio Ortega (Zara) each of whom is known with the products they produce, technologies they have developed or different service concepts they have discovered arouse both admiration and curiosity about how they have achieved such successes in people.
In this article studied, what personal characteristics innovators have is told as a result of a study on more than 3000 people for 6 years in the research. Therefore, the article examined is of a rather experimental nature. Besides, examples of different innovators are given and it is desired that the readers are convinced that being an innovator is in fact a learnable competence.
To summarize the 5 characteristics of the innovators is given in the article as below:
• Associating
A good innovator can combine independent factors and create a meaningful whole of them.
• Questioning
An innovator must have an absolute questioning ability and while an innovation is performed, he must ask the right question.
• Observing
It is one of the competences an innovator must have. An innovator must observe in advance what his available or future customers need and what affects them.
• Experimenting
Experiment has an important role in development and realisation of an idea, thus turning into an innovation. Experimenting, therefore, is a characteristic which an innovator must have.
• Networking
Many expos, organisations and idea sharing platforms develop perspectives of peoples and make it possible to observe different ideas. Increasing the number of factors of inspiration by extending networks and observing the ideas of more people through such organisations is a characteristic of innovators.
The most remarkable part of the article is that the result of a research made on twins’ creativity is that 1/3 of innovation ability of persons is an inherited attribute and remaining 2/3 is an externally learnable knowledge. Thanks to such information, the writer wishes to convey the readers that to be an innovator is never impossible. In view of such perspective, continuing to read the article, we can observe that making an innovative change is not so far away from us. This divergent point of view represents perhaps the strongest point of the essay.
Besides, if we look closely, there are people having such 5 characteristics and having made innovations well-known by people all around the world. For instance, Steve Jobs (Apple) has associating, Michael Dell (Dell Computer) has questioning Ratan Tata (TATA Group) has observing, Howard Shultz (Starbucks) has experimenting and Michael Lazaridis (Blackberry) has networking characteristics. It is evident by such examples that they are all idea leaders of products we use or services we utilise in our daily lives. Such useful examples are the primary of positive points where the article studied affects the reader.
Such 5 characteristics of the innovators share similarity with some sources studied. In the book The Innovator’s DNA by Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Geregersen and Clayton M. Christensen whose summary is studied, the above information is explained more comprehensively and using more examples. Additionally, a chart[1] illustrating how much of the said 5 characteristics is used by which innovator is given below. Moreover, experimental data of more than 3000 people defined as non-innovators are shown in the following chart.
As can be observed in the chart, all innovators except for Scott Cook have the highest point at associating characteristic. The only point where 4 different innovators intersect is observing characteristic. Especially, Michael Dell and Michael Lazaridis who are the innovators of companies producing technological products are at the top of the networking section of the chart.
Upon studying more sources, it can be observed that the innovators may have other characteristics apart from 5 characteristics studied in the first resource studied. For example, according to the sources of the firm Inomer[2] which is an innovation centre established for competition and development, other characteristics which an innovator has in addition to those studied in the main article studied are as follows:
• Taking risks
Failures from uncertainties, as well as achievements, are a part of innovation process. For that reason, your firm must take being prepared to take risks and the failures as an opportunity for learning and developing. However, while doing that, you must pay attention not to take unnecessary risks. It will be possible to reduce uncertainties in innovation by collecting sufficient information and making researches.
• Tolerating the failure
As innovation brings taking risks while transforming and differentiating, failure may be inevitable in certain situations. It is impossible not to make mistakes during innovation process. Should you corporate culture punish failure, in a short time, anybody will start to think that taking risks by stating innovation ideas and involving in innovation process is useless and obeying the boss is the safest way.
• Cooperation
Although an innovation idea comes from one person, you will need many people to evaluate and realise it. Innovation requires a team work. Approaches restricting interaction and incentive systems only rewarding personal efforts sabotages such cooperation, and accordingly innovation.
In addition, in the book[3] Understanding Creativity by John S. Dacey and Kathleen M. Lennon, different characteristics of innovators are explained as follows:
• Uncertainty vs tolerance
Finding the different one not scary but exciting.
• Avoiding prejudices
In certain conditions, irrespective of prejudices, breaking the taboos and thinking different.
• Choosing untidiness
Enjoying difficulties, untidiness and mess.
• Delaying pleasure
Delaying the pleasure until the end of a long and hard work and reaching the highest pleasure.
• Avoiding gender taboos
Bringing creative thinking capacity out of certain gender patterns.
It is evident that when different resources are studied, they may be seen to contain different characteristics of innovators. However, such observed different characteristics remain minor compared to 5 characteristics in the article studied. For that reason, if the “basic” characteristics of an innovator are to be listed, 5 characteristics given at the beginning will be sufficient. However, if the missing features are added, the reader will have more guidance.
Consequently, 5 characteristics of an innovator given in the article are those to be practiced by anybody easily regardless of gender, material class, occupational group or geography differences of daily life. Nevertheless, various rushes in people’s lives, push them to exaggerate the problems instead of solving them and use innovations developed by others instead of developing one. Therefore, those defined as non-innovator are placed at the bottom of the chart. If one desires to be innovative at a work being performed or to be established, he must first focus on innovative thinking, take action in the light of above information and therefore, always be one step ahead of other ordinary people. Who knows, perhaps, from this article we have examined, some have been influenced and become an innovator.