Many large companies in the Western world have built their business on a great idea, unique technology or processing method. The focus has been on delivering great quality and improving productivity in order to drive costs down and price up. Some have had a belief that their product or service, were so unique, price competitive or had a quality hard to match. Their products could stand the test of time. The companies were satisfied with their offerings and value proposition as they were. There has not been a need or an urgency of change. Many of these companies suffer competiveness today. But the driving force of the world is dissatisfaction with status quo. From politics to cancer research nothing would have happened if everybody were satisfied with what is. Most management teams of today’s companies are concerned with their employee satisfaction. They measure it and many managers employee satisfaction as a personal KPI in their performance appraisal. For many companies’ dissatisfied employees is a severe threat to the company. It leads to decision anxiety and conservatism. However, the most dissatisfied employees can challenge the conventional thinking, innovate and maybe even revolutionizing. But satisfied employees are focused on avoid making errors and circumnavigate all that challenges status quo. This is done by not making decisions; asking more questions; continuing working on the project; scenario planning and other excuses for not doing anything. It is almost like you can build a carrier by not doing anything. And eventually you have an organization built on the past and people that try to avoid innovating. Is that satisfactory?
Innovation is driven by dissatisfaction
