Joining forces to innovate Part II

The pitfalls of collaborative innovation

So, if collaboration is so beneficial, why is it not the dominant mode of innovation?

Quite simply because it is not always that easy to implement and there are significant pitfalls one might inadvertently step into on the way.

The 3 biggest pitfalls to be aware of when attempting to innovate with collaboration are:

Different agendas

The single biggest threat to the success of a potential collaboration occurs when the parties are not 100% aligned on what they want to achieve and why they are choosing to collaborate. This can be unintentional, but in some instances – and this is the worst case – even deliberate. When the collaborating parties are not perfectly aligned, there will always be friction, which will complicate the collaboration and could even derail it completely.

The best way to address this is to ensure alignment at the highest level (ideally CEO) from the start. But even then, there might still be room for interpretation when it comes to the details. The only cure for this is full transparency and a governance structure that puts the success of the innovation first and allows internal agendas to be addressed and, if necessary, overruled.

Sunk cost

“Sunk cost” here does not only refer to money. It could also be effort, time, belief… anything that one of the collaborating parties have invested in and is reluctant to give up on. This is very common in the technology (engineering) area where technical experts sometimes belief so strongly in the superiority of their particular technical solution, that they refuse to give up on it. This can soon lead to the formation of opposing camps, which can have devastating consequences to the collaboration and the success of the innovation.

The worst thing you can do in this circumstance is to look for a compromise –  “put in a bit of both” or “I will give you this if you accept my solution on the other topic”.

You should always do what maximises the chances of success for your innovation, not what keeps everyone happy.

Ability to execute

The third pitfall is not only a pitfall, but if successfully avoided, can also be part of the solution to the first two. By ensuring that the collaboration is able to effectively and efficiently execute, you are laying the foundation for success. Failing to do this, pretty much guarantees that you will get stuck sooner or later.

So how do you ensure ability to execute? The first part is relatively straight-forward and applying good Project Management principles will get you a long way. Ensure that you have sufficient access to the required resources and proper infrastructure, facilities, communication, hardware and software tools. This is not always easy and requires a lot of hard work, but it is nothing that has not been done before. The key however lies in leadership and governance.

Having strong, visible and present leadership and a clear governance structure is essential. The leader(s) of your innovation collaboration need(s) to be empowered to make efficient decisions and authorised to implement them.

The governance structure should provide frequent and open communication to all stakeholders but should never be constrained by asking for permission before executing.

The next blogpost in this series will explore

 When to collaborate.

Coming soon… watch this space.

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