Daily Inspiration: “Establishing a committee is a guaranteed prescription for innovation paralysis”

“Establishing a committee is a guaranteed prescription for innovation paralysis” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Why are committees so bad for innovation? Here’s a list of 10 reasons….

• it sends the message that innovation is something special; that not everyone is responsible for great ideas
• it often leads to the worst form of group-think, whereas divergent thinking is the essence of innovation and creativity
• it usually results in the lowest common denominator of idea generation; mediocrity rules!
• it leads to the deferral of decisions – by design, committees can’t make decisions!
• committees breed bureaucracy; bureaucracy is the enemy of innovation
• committees, by design, seek consensus. Innovation, by its nature, requires independence of thought
• committees are ruled by inertia and inaction; innovation requires regular action and re-analysis
• people don’t like conflict. Committees seek agreement; innovation often thrives on disagreement
• committees are usually established for short term goals; innovation is, by necessity, a long term cultural initiative
• committees meet on a timed, organized, scheduled basis. Innovation is usually spontaneous and requires instantaneity
• committees are usually closed to outside thinking; innovation, by necessity, thrives on openness

As usually, my list goes to 11!

Innovation by committee – it’s a contradiction in terms if there ever was one!