Forrester Research is holding one of its many IT Forums in Lisbon Portugal this week. 

In an interview with one of the attendees, Maggie Miller, CIO of Warner Music Group she comments, “Every IT leader needs people on their team who are smart and brave free-thinkers, who challenge us. We need to listen to what they say – and not how they say it – if we are to innovate.”  She continues, “There is a vast array of good ideas both inside and outside of most companies, …The important thing is to open the door to those considering difficult or challenging concepts.” Full article here or here.

 Ms. Miller is spot on in both regards.  Not only do you want encourage a few free radicals, but you have to be willing to entertain outsiders who may have the best/right answer to your nagging issues.  None of us has the corner on all the brilliance required to solve every problem in our respective businesses.  Furthermore, it may be that you already have the solution to solving another firm’s most complex problem - unfortunately, neither one of you knows that.  But you should.

Additionally, I’d like to caution on the implementation of Open Innovation in the Enterprise. Aspirations aside, it has implications well beyond the IT organization, existing business processes, and senior management.  Haste may waste the opportunity.  I am living at the street level with many early adopters of these ideas and the pioneers are take a few arrows.

It will take a little more to unwind the linearity of decision-making and problem-solving that has been ”the way its always been”.   Cutting to the quick - nothing makes this transition go faster than some fiscal results.  Contrary to logic, the best place to start this process is to work in reverse. 

Ms. Miller, my advice:  go explore your organization and find innovation that you believe is best served in the hands of another organization.  Cycling through that process will do two things: 1) illustrate the organizational change required to invite the outside in going forward, and 2) by selling, or licensing your non-strategic innovations to others those dollars will peak senior management’s curiosity.  That’s your invitation to present the whole of Open Innovation as you describe above.  Tails wag dogs all the time…

Ms. Miller, it would be a pleasure to sit down and explore the specifics of making Warner Music Group truly innovative not only in solutions but organizational practicality and real results.

Tom