What is Innovation?
Innovation is critical to the success of associations and it is essential for association leaders to foster a culture of innovation. For many associations innovation is difficult and elusive because of:
- Governance Structure – Association leadership transitions on a regular basis and this affects continuity and direction of an association. It is critical to get volunteer leaders to relinquish some power so the staff leadership has the authority to pursue innovative solutions to their logical end.
- Functional Area Depth -Large companies have bigger departments that bring a depth of ideas, experiences and backgrounds to solve problems. In associations, these functional areas are smaller and therefore less diverse. Be sure to bring other stakeholders or departments to the table when trying to address important issues so you expand that depth of knowledge and diversity.
- Risk vs. Resources – Associations have limited resources and tend to be risk-averse. The reality is part of being successful as innovators is to be willing to take risks and fail.
- The Right Tools – For a long time, associations haven’t had access to innovative tools that big businesses have had access to.
In the modern association, innovation is now measured in weeks or months instead of years.
Can an Innovation Culture be Fostered? Yes!
Check Your Attitude on Failure
Failure is an option. The innovation path is paved with failure! Think of anything great (the original iPhone for example) and it likely did not come without failure (the Apple Newton) because it is through failure that lessons are learned and progress is made. You have to have a comfort level with failure as failure is part of progress.Assume You Are Going to Get Disrupted.
Always think this way! Well known organizations like Kodak and BlackBerry have been disrupted. If you stay the course and don’t do something differently, you will never be innovative. Someone will do it better, faster and completely differently.
Get Real.
As a leader, if you make a mistake-fess up to it. By owning your mistakes you are letting the rest of the team know that it is ok to make a mistake in the steps toward progress. For example, go over a failure and the lessons learned in a staff meeting or share important failures with new employees during orientation. Talking about it lets staff know it is part of innovating and growing.
Think Big but Start Small.
Do things in an agile manner. Start small and iterate rather than trying to address a massive problem. For example, instead of fully revamping a new offering, event, or dues structure, start by identifying the riskiest parts of the project and prototype there. The idea is to thoughtfully test new programs or ideas in bite-size chunks and over time with individual groups. This allows you to gather valuable feedback and adjust along the way.
Risk is a Conscious Leadership Decision
Systematically identify risks with your new initiative/idea and identify ways to mitigate those risks. Part of taking risks is being comfortable with ambiguity. Things will not always go the way you expect them to go but preparing for it makes it easier to manage.
Boost Your Situational Awareness.
Merely thinking about what risks exist will boost your situational awareness. Examine all possibilities and every angle so that you are aware and ready to handle the unexpected.
Don’t Fixate on the Competition.
Do you want to be “them” or do you want to surpass the competition? Chart your own path in order to truly do something different and innovative.
Do Less Better.
Focus on what you do and do it relentlessly well. Simple!
Dismount. Sacred Cows Make the Best Hamburgers.
The adage goes “When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.”
Stop making excuses (buying a stronger whip, changing riders, saying ‘This is the way we have always ridden this horse.’) Make conscious decisions and make difficult decisions today. Destroy something completely, start all over again and open your eyes. Slay the “Sacred Cow” (something that has been there a while and has not been performing). This alone can change the attitude of your entire organization and those around you!
Humility-Nothing Great is Done Alone.
This is true with innovative efforts–no one department or person can do it alone and the organization needs to work together. Behind every great innovation or effort is a team of people who helped to make that happen.
Additionally, it is important to weigh perfection vs. excellence. What is the difference between perfection and excellence? The difference is that excellence is achievable. Perfection is often the enemy of getting it done and out the door. Steve Jobs had a saying, “Real artists ship.” He was referring to the fact that everyone has ideas, but real artists deliver on them or ship them.
It is important to realize that pushing the envelope may mean failure for you or failure on team members’ part and there is humility in accepting that as well.
What Role Does the AMS Play in Innovation?
You may create new and innovative programs, but if you aren’t supporting them with innovative processes and technology you may not be as successful. “Race for Relevance” outlines 4 groups of technology efforts, one of which is “Emerging Technologies.” Associations need to experiment and explore new technologies to stay relevant. If you wait to see what is tried and true you will always be outdated and behind.
An AMS built on a true enterprise platform like Salesforce can spark innovation in a variety of ways including:
- Moving IT from a break fix mentality to strategic role by eliminating upgrade cost/pain/work, delivering the solution thru a browser and handling performance requirements. IT can then focus on more innovative initiatives versus maintaining the status quo.
- Delivering superior extensibility thru integration frameworks, well built APIs and even thru an App store (like the Salesforce AppExchange).
How can I tell if an AMS has a true enterprise platform?
The primary benefit of an enterprise platform is the ability to “stand on the shoulders of a giant,” leveraging innovation of some of the largest technology and software companies on the market today.
True Cloud Vs. Fake Cloud
There is a huge difference between a hosted application and a true enterprise cloud application (one that is a true multi-tenant application with unlimited scalability). To deliver speed, mobility, security and more at scale required an enterprise cloud (I.e., thousands of servers in multiple data centers around the world). A big indicator of the TRUE CLOUD is that all customers are on the same version. In the FALSE CLOUD, customers can be on multiple versions.
Network Effect
The network effect is a phenomenon whereby a good or service becomes more valuable when more people use it. A good example of this is the Salesforce AppExchange; developers build apps on the platform because there are so many customers (Over 160,000 with millions of users) using it. Conversely, organizations choose Salesforce because of the number of apps. The platform creates a virtuous cycle for Associations, partners, 3rd party apps and consultants.
Want to Keep Innovating? Learn More:
⇛ Attend a webinar, “Why the AMS Platform Supersedes All Else.”
⇛ Request the recording of this webinar by emailing info@nimbleams.com
