Getting Your Story Straight
Why is the spread of innovation so hard?
You know that feeling when you have done something great? You want everyone to know about it and do it. It’s so simple isn’t it – just tell others what you did, and they can copy it?
You know that feeling when you find something great that someone else has done? You tell others – we could do that here … couldn’t we …?
How can we get past the objections “not invented here”, “it’s not perfect” and the “we are too busy”?
Here are some of the key questions to ask:
“Who can help me?”
Who are the innovators and are they prepared to help with spread and adoption?
Who do you need to engage in your setting?
“What’s in it for us?”
What is the improvement and why would we consider adopting it in our organisation/setting?
Does this innovation fix a problem that we are aware of?
“Do I understand what had been done and can I then tell others?”
Gather as much detail as possible on the old/current status, practice and the context.
What incentives did the original innovators offer for people to change?
Think about how you will describe what they have done to your peers?
“How easy is it to SEE and FEEL the benefits?”
What does the improved practice deliver?
Which parts of this practice will work in your context?
What won’t work?
What and who will help you decide?
“Can I test this and see if it works for me?”
How confident are you that you will get similar positive results?
What will help you make that decision?
Can you test this idea out without requiring permission from anyone?