Is It Their Thinking or Ours?
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. — Henry Ford
A while back I sat in a presentation in which an evangelist from a huge corporation said …
Customers want innovation.
It was one of his PowerPoint slides too.
“Ah, no,” I thought. “Here I sit in a room filled with people who came to learn from him. Some of them, because of the man’s title, were bound to repeat that silly statement.”
Had I heard that sentence in my younger days, when I had less patience, I would have felt compelled to … um … handle it gently. His choice of words skews solid thinking.
Customers?
Every customer is a person.
The sentence changes when it becomes
People want innovation.
Do we? Do people want innovation. I suppose some folks put down hard earned cash for “innovation.” Personally, I’m not fully sure what innovation is until someone conceives it and shows me how it works. I certainly don’t go looking for it.
When I spend my money on what I need, want, or desire, innovation doesn’t make the list. Solving a real or perceived problem does.
Solutions make my life, easier, more fun, more elegant.
Solutions make me feel better about myself.
Innovation isn’t about me.
It’s about the person or people who came up with the idea.
What’s your thinking? Do your customers want innovation?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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I’m with you. I want a solution to my problem or a way of satisfying my need.
My customers, my readers and my friends usually want a solution to their problems too. They’ve never yet asked for innovation.
Hi John,
Exactly. I’ve come to thinking of it as an “innovative solution” but the solution part is what really counts. 🙂
Innovation? I just want the #$%!!! thing to work.
Hi Greg,
Just tweeted a link to your comment. You said it all in 9 words. 🙂
I must admit; I’ve been guilty of repeading that statement myself! (sound of hand slapping forehead) You’re absolutely right, of course. Thanks as always for the reality check, Liz!
Yessir, Mr. Hruzek,
Hope that your hat brim was out of the way when you did that. heh heh
Like you I have to keep reminding myself.
Liz
Liz, this is spot in not just in business, but in the political process right now. People have said they voted for change, but their view of it is really an amped up version of what they have. The leader must have the vision and show them how it brings them solutions, because a solution never develops at the level of the problem.
Great piece, Liz!
Hi Conrad,
Really great thought –> a solution never develops at the level of the problem. I’m going to be thinking about that all day. Would love to know more about what you mean …
Innovation is not always progress; innovation is purely a means by which better solutions to problems may occasionally be arrived at.
There’s too much fetishisation of innovation for it’s own sake. I recently looked at this question in a post on my own blog: http://www.joepritchard.me.uk/2010/01/innovative-is-not-the-same-as-useful/
I also see a lot of entrepreneurs and software developers getting hooked on ‘bleeding edge’ innovation as a pre-requisite for success. It isn’t.
Hi Joe!
Well said — innovation isn’t always progress. It’s sometimes just a bad mutation of what was and often the innovator hasn’t considered the impact of the change, particularly the new problems it might cause.
Thank you for including that link!
Still thinking about this, it is kind of like the chicken and the egg discussion.
When I think about problem solutions I have developed over the years, there have been instances of people saying-that is innovative.
Perhaps people don’t seek innovation but enjoy it when it shows up in the guise of problem solving.
Consider the range of Apple products over the past several years, iPods, iPhones and now the iPad. One could argue that they are solving problems-I want to carry the music I choose everwhere I go in a small case format; then I want a small, easy to carry phone that also does just about anything I can think of; now I also want to read books without carrying around big books.
These items could be considered to solve problems for people who crave absolute mobility, or they could be considered innovative as they open up a world of possibilities to those who hadn’t considered that world of possibilities.
Or is it that we simply use an innovative process to solve problems?
Hi Karin!
I love it when you’re thinking on something, because then you lead me to do the same.
My conclusion this time is … it seems that when solving a problem drives the process we are more likely to arrive at an innovation that actually works for customers, because problem solving not innovation is our goal.
I’d say more, but I’m afraid I’ll just confuse myself. heh heh
I see innovation as a type of solution. More as an adjective. I imagine that in most businesses there are some common problems relating to the particular industry. These problems can certainly benefit from an “innovative” solution. Technology that makes it go faster, cut better, or burn cleaner is important to the advancement of any business.
Hi Kevin!
Innovative solutions … exactly. Putting a horn on an elephant might be an innovation, but not necessarily a solution. 🙂
ok, so the thought here is:
“people want solutions to their problems” and if that solution happens to be innovative and creative, consider it a bonus, not a prerequisite?
Hi Toff!
Not just a bonus, but probably a unique selling feature and value proposition. Well said!!
I still love how you think!
Liz
No… innovation has nothing to do with customers and everything to do with how one brand distinguishes itself from another. Businesses need to innovate to survive and grow. People are annoyed with unnecessary change which is what innovation feels like at first.
Hi Sean!
If we make it an innovative solution doesn’t it do both — differentiate the business AND serve customers in a way they like?