Perspectives Innovation Langen 2009

8/7/2019 Perspectives Innovation Langen 2009

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Published in: Ketchum Perspectives, Year 2009, Issue 3,

http://www.ketchumperspectives.com/archives/2009_i3/Communicating_and_Cultivating_Innovation/Ralf_Langen_Ins

piring_Innovation_Engaging_Employees.php

Inspiring Innovation: Engaging Employees Through Entrepreneurialism, Idea Fandom and Epistemaphilia

By Ralf Langen

Managing Partner, Germany, and European Head of Change & Transformation, Pleon

How big companies and large organizations can better manage their innovation processes –

and ultimately turn novel ideas into commercial success – is probably one of the most widely

researched and written‐about topics in management literature today. One clear conclusion

is that a certain organizational culture is essential.

How does a company build such a culture? At least three core ingredients are required:

entrepreneurialism, idea fandom, and epistemaphilia.

The first is fairly simple – entrepreneurs offer innovative solutions to frequently

unrecognized problems. In fact, distinguished management guru Peter Drucker notes that

"innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship." Innovative companies need

entrepreneurs and a consistent culture of entrepreneurialism that supports those who

innovate.

Understanding Fandom “Highly engaged employees, who are at the core of innovation power, have a strikingly

strong resemblance to self ‐organized groups that have long been marginalized and

stigmatized: fans.”

http://www.ketchumperspectives.com/archives/2009_i3/Communicating_and_Cultivating_Innovation/Ralf_Langen_Inspiring_Innovation_Engaging_Employees.php







The second ingredient, idea fandom, is best illustrated through companies that have it. They

include IBM (with its world‐famous collaborative innovation approach), and Linux (with its

forceful open source development)11. What do these two best‐practice examples have in

common?

They show that it is in the interstices of the human network – rather than in the minds of a

few wunderkinder – that most real innovations are born. They also illustrate a deeply

researched phenomenon of employee engagement: Engaged employees, as Gallup2 and

others show, are people who work with passion and feel a profound connection to their

company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward. Highly engaged

employees typically forget about time and space, they focus on current challenges even

when they are not directly involved, they invest free time and invite others in – being

"emotionally contagious" and passionate about things they feel need to be done.

Described like that, highly engaged employees, who are at the core of innovation power,

have a strikingly strong resemblance to self ‐organized groups that have long been

marginalized and stigmatized: fans. Now, thanks to Henry Jenkins, a professor at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the school’s Comparative Media

Studies program, we have a new definition of fandom. Jenkins describes it as being about

self ‐organizing groups focused on the collective production, debate and circulation of

meaning.

Real fandom, then, is not only about identification with and a devotion to "your" topic – be it

Star Trek , Beauty and the Beast , ER, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer . It is also about a unique

attitude and willingness when it comes to knowledge of all kinds. This is where the second

and third ingredients for innovative cultures are linked. Professor Jenkins calls this attitude

"epistemaphilia" – which he says is "not simply a pleasure in knowing but a pleasure in

exchanging knowledge."3

Aiding the Exchange of Knowledge Very much like fans discussing the subtleties of character relationships or technical features

important for narrative development, rich knowledge environments within corporations are

essential to bringing innovation forward. Also like fans distributed around the world with

only a few chances to regularly meet in person (Trekkies typically meet at fan conventions),

innovation communities within large organizations need to interact and share ideas based

on full transparency of one's own identity, the personal reputation as an expert in certain

categories and the full trust that the problem or issue that is raised is a real need around a

real case.

1 For the innovation practices at Linux, see the landmark article by Philip Evans and Bob Wolf, "Collaboration

Rules," in Harvard Business Review July/August 2005. 2 Gallup Management Journal: "Gallup Study – Engaged Employees Inspire Company Innovation", Oct 12 2006;

"Development Dimensions International, Employee Engagement – The Key to Realizing Competitive

Advantage," 2007, www.ddiworld.com; Sabine Stecher, "Why Engagement Matters?", in J.Klewes / R. Langen

(eds.); "Change 2.0 – Beyond Organizational Transformation," Heidelberg 2008 (Springer) 3 Henry Jenkins, Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Media Consumers in a Digital Age, NYU Press, New York 2006.



How does this trusted exchange of ideas best happen? Epistemaphilia,

like

any

cultural

attitude

based

on

love

and

devotion,

needs

a

framework.

To

promote the exchange of knowledge, a shared pool of knowledge or information that is

available to all members is needed as basis. And as a "breathing" function, universally

available tools for moving knowledge around are essential.

The knowledge pool has to be more than a limited section of the company intranet, but

rather a knowledge sphere that connects proprietary knowledge with the collective

intelligence of the Web, and with the web of partnerships and alliances. And the tools for

moving knowledge around need to be jams and jamming activities, where knowledge is

connected and further enriched with social grain.

Combined with blogs and bloggers as navigators through knowledge fields, as well as wikis

and Wikipedians acting as supporters and archivers, epistemaphilia can be a powerful

practice to boost innovation.

Documents

Perspectives Innovation Langen 2009