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The Ten Commandments of Innovation


Glowing blue tablets with text "The Ten Commandments of Innovation." Icons include a lightbulb, shield, gears, clock, and a document. Dark background.

The three years of recession that are now coming to an end have placed IT managers of organizations in a dilemma. Often, you will hear IT managers say the following common phrase: 'We are tired of purchasing new technologies. The technology we need is already in our possession, but we fail to use it innovatively - that's the difficult part.' Indeed, innovation is the second most important challenge facing IT managers in organizations today. The million-dollar question is, 'How do you nurture an organizational culture in the company where you serve?' The CIO magazine recently published the ten innovation commandments formulated by Stephen Warren, CIO of the FTC. He brought this to the attention of his council members, and they decided to adopt it. We found it appropriate to bring this to your attention. We would be happy to receive comments and insights.

  1. Delegate firefighting authority. "You cannot lead innovations when you are busy putting out daily fires," says Carl Ascenzo, Chief Information Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. "Hire the best execution people, and let them do their job."

  2. Create an atmosphere of trust. Trust nurtures innovation, and open communication creates trust. "Establish a formal communication program," says Jim Burdiss, Chief Information Officer of Smurfit-Stone Container. "Our office is responsible for continuously improving internal communication on technological issues. If there is a power outage at a particular plant, the entire company is immediately notified. This makes it easier to achieve innovations."

  3. Know how to accept criticism, and even seek it out. "Not every idea is successful, and some ideas are even very bad," says Dave Clark, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the American Red Cross. "To improve ideas, it is necessary to receive criticism. If you cannot hear that the idea you nurtured is bad, you cannot lead truly great innovations."

  4. Provide evidence. Will the idea save the company money? Will it increase productivity? Is it even capable of working? "Nothing will damage your credibility more than a business model full of holes," says Clark. "Before marketing the idea, do your homework and get feedback."

  5. Look around. During a recession, staying at the office until late hours is common, but if you do so, it is difficult to innovate. "You need to check what is being done elsewhere," says Kent Kushar, Chief Information Officer of J & E Gallo Winery. "You don't want to be the guinea pig, but you also don't want to lag behind everyone else."

  6. Don't worship technology for its own sake. For a project to be innovative, it doesn't have to include completely new technologies. "Keep your distance from the cutting edge," warns Jeff Peterson, Chief Information Officer of UNNICO. "True innovation is based on tested and proven technologies."

  7. Follow startup companies. In addition to leading internal organizational innovation, Chief Technology Officers are committed to promoting innovation in the information technology industry. "We all need to open the door to startup companies to drive the next wave of innovation," says Scott Hicar, Chief Information Officer of Maxtor. "If every Chief Information Officer adopts one startup company, the industry will return to prosperity."

  8. Guard your wallet carefully. "A tight fist drives innovation," says Clark. "When budgets flow freely, it's very tempting to maintain the existing and familiar. When resources are limited, you must find new and creative ways to solve problems."

  9. Maintain precise timing. "New technologies are like jokes: timing determines success," says Jean Elias, Quiksilver's Chief Information Officer. Expecting operational departments to be happy to participate in the new project is a sure recipe for failure."

  10. Turn problems into opportunities. Don't invest in a problem to the extent that you miss the opportunity embedded in it. "If an application doesn't work because servers are poorly configured," says Warren, "instead of going through the infrastructure until the problem is located, determine how the infrastructure should be defined from now on."


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