Last month’s Tech Talk introduced the first five of Scott Berkun’s 10 Myths of Innovation. In his recent book, “The Myths of Innovation” Scott deliberately sets out to break the mythical ways in which we may think about innovation, so that we can be ‘free to try and change the world.’ What follows are myths six through 10.

Myth #6 – Good ideas are hard to find. It is universally accepted by psychologists and creativity researchers that humans are built for creative thinking. “The difference between creatives and others is more attitude and experience than nature.” This is a point that we emphasize in our Idea to Implementation Workshop at the Centre for Research & Innovation. One of the quickest ways to restore our creative nature in the workplace is to stop the misuse of brainstorming by eliminating the judgment of ideas and all negativity around an idea’s value. Start by simply generating ideas without filtering or denigrating them. Idea-generation processes like brainstorming should be fun.

Myth #7 – Your boss knows more about innovation than you. Why would she? The manager is charged with producing an outcome (product or service) probably with directions to do that efficiently.

In fact, the need for improved productivity is a common story within business pages and is a focus of the AB Government’s efforts related to productivity. But innovation often runs counter to productivity and thus needs to be managed. Berkun suggests five challenges to managing innovation. First – life of ideas: someone must be responsible for the idea. Secondly – environment: someone must create an environment the will “put innovation at the centre”. Thirdly – protection: as Berkun sees it, it is the manager’s unique responsibility to protect the new idea while it develops. The fourth is execution – all steps (i.e. concept, prototypes, production models, market ready product) are necessary. Finally, innovations require funding and leadership to get it there, that is, persuasion.

Myth #8 – The best ideas win. Simply not true. Ask any Apple user; and remember what happened to Beta video tapes. What about Imperial measurement and the Metric system? Need more be said about the QWERTY keyboard and how stuck we are in its use when a number of more efficient key arrangements have been developed? Just because you have a ‘best idea’ don’t expect acceptance.

Myth #9 – Problems and solutions. Burken suggests that problems should be seen as an invitation to look beyond the obvious. While that may seem unnecessary for everyday problems, it may lead to solutions that have greater use than first imagined. “Framing problems to help solve them” usually means time and effort well spent.

Myth #10 – Innovation is always good. Is an innovation good if it solves your problems [and those of your customers] or makes you money? Definitely. But what if it also causes people to lose their jobs? . . . The impact of innovations can be unpredictable (DDT, the Internet). Sometimes their impact is sudden, while for others it takes years. Occasionally, the ‘Law of Unintended Consequences’ prevails.

There they are – The Myths of Innovation.

Not only is his book a good read, but it is full of practical tips on how to be an innovator or an innovative company. The journey begins with the decision.

Dr. Bruce Rutley is the Director of the Centre for Research & Innovation at Grande Prairie Regional College.