Obstacle to innovation
An innovation barrier is a factor that influences the innovative strength of a company and thereby prevents, delays or changes an innovation. Due to the strong fragmentation of the research literature on obstacles to innovation, holistic approaches to explain these are seldom found.
Eberhard Witte writes about obstacles - he uses the word “barrier”: “No fixed barrier may be associated with the barrier that is either closed or open, jumped over or not jumped over.” Witte sees a gradual resistance in innovation obstacles and differentiates them in will barriers and ability barriers.
Jürgen Hauschildt , added the process promoter to the power and specialist promoter model developed by Witte. He writes or says about obstacles: “The history of innovations is a never-ending story of resistance to them. All characteristics of a conflict of two behaviors as well as the perception of the incompatibility by those affected and involved come into play here. [...] Resistance to innovation is also resistance by people against people. Because they mean a significant change in the previous way of working. "
Forms of obstacles to innovation
Barriers to innovation are divided into external and internal barriers to innovation. External obstacles to innovation include, for example, laws, patent rights and / or trade restrictions. The company has a limited influence on these external environmental conditions.
The internal barriers to innovation are differentiated according to the application and invention side.
On the invention side are:
- technology
- Finances
- organization
- staff
Regarding the financial obstacles , it says: "Financial obstacles are spoken of when the employees involved in the innovation task are severely limited by financial restrictions, ie there is insufficient budget available." This obstacle occurs particularly in small and medium-sized companies . The technical obstacles include, for example, the qualitative or quantitative lack of equipment. These can be machines, measuring instruments or tools. The lack of digitized technology is also one of the corresponding obstacles to innovation. Organizational obstacles can be removed by taking the appropriate organizational measures. The following organizational innovation obstacles can be described as typical:
- rigid hierarchies that hinder the flow of information
- inadequate training opportunities
- defective computer systems, such as B. lack of networking
“If qualitative and quantitative personal difficulties hinder the innovation process, we speak of personal obstacles .” The quantitative difficulties include an insufficient number of employees in the company. But the inadequate qualification of the employees can also be counted here. Qualitative barriers, on the other hand, cannot be compensated for by offering appropriate training and further education. The barriers are based on the skills of the employees. The employees cannot change that. Another qualitative obstacle is the inadequate ability to rethink, as mentioned in the introduction. These barriers are called ability or will barriers .
When interdisciplinary innovation teams join forces, the often hoped-for high effect does not materialize. In addition to the official requirements, unwritten rules of the game often develop. The many well-intentioned projects fail when the teams are put together. Often the desired spirit of cooperation does not develop. “Instead, the teams unexpectedly get caught up in internal disputes about different positions of their members. Short-term and departmental egoistic orientation, power struggles and egoisms are inevitable despite all good intentions and teamwork rarely occurs. Even if it is only faked to match the official corporate line. "
Such relationships can be found at all company levels. The result is “ropes of perdition”. Company management is seldom seen by its own employees as a force exercising power, as it seldom rebukes, punishes or appears combative itself. The unwritten rules of the game and the associated exercise of power arise in the secret organization on the lower levels.
Further research approaches
Another division of obstacles to innovation takes place on four levels:
- Level of the environment of the organization
- Organization level with structures and strategies
- Project level with too many tasks, market complexity, lack of communication between team members
- Level of the individual with resistance to innovation
Thus the level of the environment of the organization reflects the external obstacles to innovation. The levels of the organization, the project level and the individual level are among the internal barriers to innovation. In general, it should not be forgotten that innovations in a company are part of change management . Changes can lead to great uncertainty among employees, because they are mainly affected by the pressure to innovate or to change. Innovations have a direct influence on the everyday work of employees, for example when they lead to changed work processes. Since the planned innovations are usually insufficiently known, they trigger feelings of insecurity and fear. Even an entrepreneur himself can become a personified obstacle to innovation. In which he criticizes his employees for no apparent reason, puts them under time pressure or suppresses them in a demotivated manner.
This then results in active or passive resistance to the innovations, a resistance that is considered an obstacle to innovation. This resistance jeopardizes the success of innovations because the change is not lived by the employees. Structures and processes in the company can only change if the employees are both capable and ready to implement the changes, because the company's success is based on the skills of the employee.
Countermeasures
The barriers to innovation identified in theory coincide with those found in practice. A distinction is made between internal and external barriers to innovation. The company has to deal with external barriers such as B. Laws, trade regulations and economic conditions, little influence.
But the internal barriers to innovation are partly changeable, including a. through suitable innovation management , a company suggestion system or through a continuous improvement process . This applies in particular to the transparent education of employees about the planned innovations and their participation. This avoids the dreaded resistance. In addition, the innovations should be anchored in the company's vision . It is difficult to change financial circumstances. If the financial means for innovations are not available, the only thing left for the company is to forego, take out loans or specifically reschedule the means, which is accompanied by cuts in other areas. With regard to the organizational structure, flat hierarchies should prevail. The leadership culture should be democratic ( participatory ) and fair. Fairly treated employees behave just as fairly towards the company according to reciprocity (rule of reciprocity).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Christoph Mirrow: Barriers to innovation . Gabler, Wiesbaden 2010, p. 12 .
- ↑ Eberhard Witte: Organization for innovation decisions - The promoter model . Otto Schwartz & Co, Göttingen 1973.
- ↑ Jürgen Hauschildt: Innovation Management . 4th edition. Vahlen, Munich 2007, p. 178 .
- ↑ a b c Bernd Bitzer: Obstacles to innovation in the company . Springer, Wiesbaden 1990, ISBN 3-663-01665-X .
- ↑ a b Burkhardt Krems: promoter, promoter model. 2012, accessed May 21, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Tom Sommerlatte: Strategy, Innovation, Cost Efficiency. The three management challenges . 3. Edition. Symposium Publishing, Düsseldorf 2012, ISBN 978-3-86329-447-2 .
- ↑ Christoph Mirow: Barriers to innovation . Gabler, Wiesbaden 2012.
- ↑ Ute Rademacher: Leading easier and making better decisions: Psychology for managers. Wiesbaden 2014, p. 124.
- ↑ Gerhild Deutinger: Communication in Change. Communicate successfully in change processes. Berlin 2013, p. 45.
- ↑ Thomas Lauer: Change Management: Basics and Success Factors. Berlin 2014, p. 85.