I'm retired from IBM. I did pretty good there. I was creative. In fact, once I was invited to HQ to pitch an idea that had some backing. When I was done, the mix off executives from multiple departments felt as I wanted them to feel - threatened. Staring out at these faces, I realize now that the looks I was witnessing were precursors to "404 PAGE NOT FOUND". Blanks.
To paraphrase Geoffrey Moore from his book CROSSING THE CHASM, "To enter (a bureaucratic fight) is an act of aggression...no-one wants your presence. You are an invader. This is not a time to focus on being nice."
So, eventually, I found this gig at AAPN where there are NO obstacles. Good article about YOUR obstacles follows:
The Biggest Obstacles to Innovation in Large Companies
Scott Kirsner, HBR: July 30, 2018
It turns out that the word “innovation” is not a Harry Potter-esque magical incantation that, once spoken, renders companies more inventive, creative, and entrepreneurial. The word can be uttered by a CEO speaking to employees or Wall Street analysts. It can be emblazoned on the door to a new innovation center in Silicon Valley. It can be inserted into people’s job titles. (Yes, even Toys R Us had a head of innovation.)
But there are thorny cultural, strategic, political, and budget issues that must be confronted by CEOs and other leaders if they want to ensure that their organizations can be hospitable to — rather than hostile to — new ideas. Read More