Why innovation?
I am sometimes asked why associations need to bother with innovation. Why can’t associations simply do what they do, and focus on running their “businesses” as smartly and soundly as possible? It is a reasonable question, but a naive one, because it assumes that doing what you’ve always done as well as you can is enough to succeed today. Unfortunately, we live in a time of profound discontinuity and even well-run companies led by highly competent executives suffer under such conditions. Don’t believe me? Just ask Sony what happened to the Walkman or, more recently, with the music CDs that included spyware. Even a popular and financially successful company such as Google is facing growing criticism for some of its strategic and operational decisions.
What does this have to do with innovation and its role in associations? Innovation is not only every association’s solitary strategy for achieving meaningful growth, it is every association’s hedge against the bitter realities of an unforgiving marketplace. How does the Google brand thrive (and the company’s stock rise) even when some of its products fall flat or raise the hackles of the business press or digerati chattering classes in the blogosphere? It is Google’s reputation for continuous innovation that creates a powerful halo effect with end users. A genuine organizational commitment to innovation has benefits that extend far beyond the actual creation of new value for customers, which, of course, remains the first and best reason for making it a priority.
When association leaders adopt a more strategic perspective to taking risks, i.e., stop viewing it as a zero-sum game, both the necessity and possibility of innovation will become clear. In the meantime, I’ll keep advocating for it at the top of my lungs, and I’ll continue to be asked why associations need to be bothered with it. God, I love this job! :>)
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