Sunday, May 29, 2011

Innovate or Die?

by:  Dr. Aniano M. Ogayon
ASDS, DepEd Quezon

(Innovation has become a way of life in this borderless world.  Today, whatever is new and different is sure to become a hit.  It is therefore not surprising that every now and then, every gadgets that we know has consistently advanced.  Almost every six months, new features are being added and new models released.  Before, we have semi-flat to flat CRT televisions.  Then came the plasma TV.  Later on LCD to high definition digital LCD tv and now, LED TV!  From ordinary digital cellphones, we have now smart phones.  From desktop computers to laptop, then, notebook or netbook, touch screen to i-pad, etc.

Agriculture too has advanced tremendously and most of all, the entertainment industry.  All of these, due to constant innovation.  Those who are slow to innovate are subjected to new competitors e.g., Disney versus Pixar, Apple versus Microsoft, yahoo versus google, CNN and BBC vs Al Jaseera, ABS-CBN, GMA vs TV5, etc.  Those who are late or have failed to innovate are now extinct. 

This article from one of the lectures of Dr. Ogayon explains the importance and value of innovation particularly to teachers, being on top of the professional chain.- The Learning Captain)


Innovate or die?  While you might not physically die, your greater hopes and dreams and your chances to accomplish your big goals will.  Innovation has always separated leaders from followers, those who succeed and those who just get by.  Innovation is what creates progress, and progress is what advances organizations and people beyond the competitive herd of the masses, average and the status quo.

With the speed of progress and the competitive global marketplace, just to keep up, every single person in every position needs to be an innovator, or risk being permanently sidelined. 

So what is innovation?
  • not a task, project or something you only do at an off-site meeting
  • a constant mindset and perspective
  • a concept, a mind-shift, it fosters a school culture
  • a way of looking at the world - instead of seeing what is, it is looking for what could be. 
  • Being an innovator is seeking the greater potential in every person, in every situation, process, experience and outcome. 
  • The fundamental desire of an innovator is to help, serve and solve.
Where do you start?

Innovation doesn’t come from a study of mechanics, systems, processes, technologies or strategies.  It comes from a study of people, how they live, what they want and what they need.  It is about constantly finding more ways to add value to the lives of other people.

Innovation is not coming up with ideas; ideas are creative, which is good, but to be an innovator, you have to be one  who implements ideas.

As Theodore Levitt said, “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.”  An innovator goes beyond creativity by transforming ideas into actual progress, into marketable products or services that have so much value that people will trade their hard-earned money to obtain them.

Times change first before attitudes do. But those who choose to lie back or bury their heads in the ground are left reeling by the consequences of inaction.   It’s no time to forget about innovation.  Innovation demands that we pay attention and act now. Else we pay later.

Don’t focus only on the short term, plant the seeds for the future.

Five core values to entrench innovation in the school mindset:
  • questioning
  • risk-taking
  • openness
  • patience 
  • trust
All these five must be used together — risk-taking without questioning leads to recklessness, while patience without trust sets up an every-man-for-himself mentality.

Innovation has to be embedded in the daily operation, in the entire teaching and non-teaching force.  The best way to foster innovation is to create something, put it to the test, build a good school then move it forward.

The worst thing that a school can do right now is go into hibernation, into duck-and-cover. If you just sit on your backside and wait for things to get better, they’re not going to.

They’re going to get better for somebody, but not necessarily for us.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

that's a nice reflection. my grand salute to you. .