Innovation means different things to different people. In order to get a grip on an acceptable defnition, I posted the following on my LinkedIn network: “How do you define innovation?” Many responses were run-of-the-mill or ‘book-ish’. Just as I was on the verge of giving up, I got an interesting comment from my friend Charley Socci. Socci works as Network Manager in International Rescue Committee (IRC). IRC is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency relief, rehabilitation, protection services and advocacy to refugees, displaced persons and victims of oppression and violent confict. I narrate it
verbatim here:

It is a proverbial truth that there is nothing new under the Sun. I firmly believe in it. As a music student in the 80's, I had an ensemble class filled with students of varying levels of skills, talent and interests. One day the professor came and singled out a particular group of guitarists who were playing with extreme lack of enthusiasm. He said, "You know, I heard you rehearsing the other day and you sounded great. Today you give me this lack-lustre, non-committed performance. Why aren't you bringing the same drive and enthusiasm to this performance?”

These guitarists could have been anybody. They could be managers walking into a team meeting in an organisation. Where is the passion? Why did they defne their extracurricular practice in one light with one approach, and then come into their business (the class) with a tired, dull, stale approach?   Socci went on to say, “I think innovation is learning to integrate all facets of life with all facets of business."

This is my belief too. Successful innovation comes by learning to use what you've got in a way you probably already thought of, but discarded just because some part of your mind said, “that isn't supposed to work that way.”

This issue of CTO Forum recognises ten innovations by CIOs who didn’t allow sloth to numb the innovative part of their brain. More power to them...

rahul.mani@9dot9.in