Max McKeown 'Innovation Strategy, Leadership & Culture'
Oct 1, 2024
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Max McKeown, a strategic psychologist and consultant, dives into the nuances of innovation, leadership, and culture. He brilliantly distinguishes between change and progress, arguing that while change is constant, genuine progress requires effort and understanding. McKeown advocates for fostering an innovation culture that thrives on curiosity and collaboration. He also explores the philosophical aspects of freedom and satisfaction, hinting at his forthcoming book 'Super Adaptability' while sharing insights on shaping strategies for the future.
Recognizing the illusion of stability empowers individuals to understand their agency in shaping their realities and outcomes.
Innovation thrives in cultures that nurture ideas, allowing organizations to balance the need for adaptation with effective strategic implementation.
Deep dives
The Illusion of Stability
The speaker highlights that stability is merely an illusion, suggesting that nothing is truly static in our ever-changing world. Everything is in a constant state of flux, from the cosmos down to our everyday lives. This perception of stability can lead to dangerous misconceptions; individuals may believe that situations are unchangeable or that their circumstances cannot be altered. Recognizing this fluidity is essential, as it allows individuals to comprehend that they have agency in shaping their reality and outcomes.
Understanding Strategy
Strategy is framed as an active process of shaping the future, not just a static plan or document. It necessitates a blend of thought processes and actions aimed at desired outcomes, where strategic thinkers must ask critical questions about their current position and future direction. The latest edition of a renowned strategy book illustrates how to navigate through complex scenarios by connecting different strategic elements, fostering an understanding of the interconnectedness of decisions. Ultimately, strategy should empower individuals and organizations to adapt and thrive even in challenging situations.
Innovation as Essential Adaptation
Innovation is defined as the application of new ideas that are made useful, directly linking it to strategy and the necessity for adaptation. Success hinges on balancing the need for innovative solutions to overcome obstacles while ensuring that strategies are in place to implement those innovations effectively. The discussion emphasizes that all failure stems from a lack of adaptability to changing environments, and successful adaptation is essential for progress. This synthesis underscores the collaboration between strategy and innovation in driving tangible outcomes.
Cultivating an Innovation Culture
Organizations are encouraged to create cultures that actively seek out and support innovation, distinguishing between toxic, wasteful, idea-friendly, and idea-hungry environments. A culture that embraces innovation recognizes ideas as valuable entities that need nurturing rather than neglect, facilitating a more dynamic approach to development. The speaker argues that fostering an idea-hungry atmosphere can lead to significant advancements, as seen in industries like pharmaceuticals, where competition drives innovation. Encouraging individuals to identify and understand the differences in cultural attitudes toward ideas will help transition toward a more progressive, innovation-driven organization.
This episode of ‘The New Abnormal’ podcast features the strategic psychologistDr Max McKeown- a writer, consultant & researcher specialising in innovation strategy, leadership and culture. He’s written a series of influential books and conducts research with Warwick Business School.
An advocate of innovation culture, he also argues that failure can be positive for progress if it is viewed as part of learning. He makes a distinction between change and progress, "change is inevitable but progress is not".
His book on strategy was one of the winners at the Chartered Institute of Management's Book of the Year Awards, Max argues that "strategy is about shaping the future" and approaches the subject as something that people do, both as style of thinking and the combination of actions taken along with their consequences.
So, we discuss the above and his viewpoints on those including Sartre and de Beauvoir along with topics including satisfaction, dissatisfaction, radical freedom, progress, and the illusion of stability.
Finally, he also gives us advanced notice of his next book 'Super Adaptability'.
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