What’s blocking innovation in 2020?

September 1, 2020 Josh Holder

What’s blocking innovation in 2020?

Solverboard provides some of the answers

Solverboard (part of Istoria Group’s Incubator Hub) has launched it’s second Innovation Blockers report.

The Solverboard team, alongside innovation experts, unearth the blockers that are stopping businesses in the UK from innovating, and provide advice on how to overcome these challenges.

Charlie Widdows, Co-Founder of Solverboard, says:

“To innovate you need to understand what the problem is that you’re trying to fix. Businesses in every sector across the UK are saying that the coronavirus pandemic will change the way they do business. They want to innovate, but they’re not - and we need to understand why.

“Innovation leaders are feeling the pressure to act, and they are the ones who see the systemic challenges that block businesses from responding to growth opportunities. Getting them to speak out about their challenges is the key to unlocking the tremendous innovation potential here in the UK.”

The five blockers highlighted by the Innovation Blockers Report 2020 are:

Fear of failure: Everytime you prototype an idea, there’s a chance that you might realise it isn’t viable. Uncertainty is part of the innovation process. This uncertainty can lead to innovation being stifled, especially if people don’t feel comfortable taking risks and investing in ideas which may or may not yield results.
Conflicting goals in the organisation: A common challenge in large organisations is conflicting goals, overlapping remits and a lack of consensus around the long-term vision that everyone is working towards. This is particularly problematic for innovation teams, who should always be working towards long-term strategic goals, often across multiple teams.
Lack of innovation skills: Most organisations recognise the importance of innovation, but relatively few invest time and money in building their innovation skills base. This can lead to unreliable processes and a lack of engagement with new ideas and initiatives across the business.
No clear definition of innovation: Innovation means different things to different people. It’s often associated with technology or confused with change management. Some people see it as coming up with radical new ideas, others see it as finding better ways to do what they’ve always done.
Disagreement over who owns innovation: Innovation projects tend to span multiple teams. This is intentional: interdisciplinary teams are more likely to come up with new ideas. The innovation team will be responsible for facilitating the process and communicating progress, but responsibility for outcomes is often shared across teams.