Managing an Innovative Employee

A few months ago, Rachel Feintzeig interviewed me for her Wall Street Journal article, “What To Do About a Boss Who Always Says 'No'.” I remembered that conversation yesterday, reading Erin Meyer’s HBR great article “Build a Corporate Culture That Works.

If Rachel’s article is from the innovative employee’s perspective, Erin’s is from the perspective of the boss deciding what to do. She offers an example of a manager deciding whether or not to endorse an untested idea from an employee, very similar to what Rachel and I discussed -- same situation but seen from different sides of the table.  Erin's example is an eye-opener (for me) on managing innovation.

"Dilemma: A member of your marketing team, Sheila, comes to you with a proposal she is passionate about. She’s got a fresh (and expensive) idea for how to move the business forward. She has done her homework and thought through the risks and costs carefully. But you (Sheila’s boss) think this project will fail. What will you do?

Option A: Reject the proposal and lean toward error prevention. As a manager your job is to use company resources wisely. Letting your employees invest in projects you think will flop would put those resources at risk. If Sheila can’t convince you, it’s not a good enough idea. You tell her (as kindly as possible), “Not this time.”

Option B: Give the green light and lean toward innovation. You know that innovation involves trial and error. You want your talented employees to be empowered to try creative ideas they believe in. You’ve been wrong before. If the initiative fails, you will learn. You finance the project and shuffle work around. Sheila can get started.

About 68% of the managers I’ve questioned choose A. The industrial era powered the world’s most successful economies for some 200 years, so it’s no surprise that most of us are obsessed with eliminating error. And if you’re running a nuclear reactor or manufacturing pharmaceutical drugs, you very well should be: A mistake may lead to loss of life. But in other realms, innovation is more important than efficiency or avoiding mistakes."

Michael QuinnComment