Innovator’s Dilemma – Filtering Individual Bias

Ever been in a situation where you see an opportunity for your company or a client/prospect, then in formal and/or informal discussions to enlist support from leadership &/or key stakeholders you receive feedback something like: "...well, I don't think I would be interested in buying/using this proposed offer/service...". That is frustrating when you realize that what this colleague/decision maker has done is put on their own consumer hat and judged the potential offer/service based on their own personal tastes and preferences. By taking this approach, they have become a focus group of 1 and biased their ability to assess and judge the opportunity.

One of the challenges of driving innovation is that you'll often face situations like the one above. It continues to amaze me that even senior management will revert to this type of a screening approach. To overcome this type of 'bias', point out (diplomatically) that there is reasonable evidence of opportunity in spite of their individual personal tastes. Remember Peter Lynch, the famous fund manager of Fidelity Magellan back in the 1980's? He was also know for advising individuals to find investment opportunities by visiting local malls to observe where the foot traffic and excitement is. Clearly, not every store's offerings are for every shopper...but that doesn't mean that every store couldn't potentially be an investment opportunity for every clever investor.



The reality that innovators/business developers face is that personal bias is alive and well in your day-to-day. From 20-somethings to 60-somethings, internally and externally, across all business functions, watch and listen. You'll be amazed at how often people will revert to this approach. Maybe this phenomenon is a contributing factor as to why the USA is no longer the top global innovator.