Missile – a fast moving object with tremendous power to lift up and scale great heights; grabs lot of attention with its spectacle; hi tech (now more than ever); but also time bound usually shortlived, expensive and difficult to manage if it goes out of control.
Tree – grows slowly and requires lot of nurturing, but once on its roots (& stem) is sustainable, with long term rewards and capability to connect many in the ecosystem.
So what form does innovation take at your company? Is it spectacular, fast and furious like a missile but as well ending in a quick/sudden death or perhaps turning into an ‘un manageable’ , lose making venture?
Or is it like growing a Tree. Starts small, almost vulnerable and not seen by many as of any significance, requiring great nurturing, but once it has come of age, it is to be reckoned with, it provides a long term returns and links meaningfully with all entities of the business.
The answer would also reflect the senior management view of Innovation and its role in the business.
Missile (or spectacle) could reflect the urge to do something which gets many and quick eyeballs and alongwith it collective and individual awe. It is truly a heady feeling when many praise this.
Tree to me reflects that company wants to make money and for long term and are therefore, willing to invest time and efforts required. Not be enamoured by the glamour. The awe which comes much later(oh it does) but it is acompanied with sense of appreciation.
I believe in Tree and that is why I have named my consulting ‘TARU Innovations’. ‘TARU’ is Tree in Hindi language. We help companies commercialise innovation by providing consulting and management resources required to take an innovation idea from ‘mind’ to ‘market’ and therafter for atleast one year.
I’ve entered this article in Blogging Innovation’s October Innovation Contest – To show your support for this article, please follow the link and add a comment.
Davinder @ TARU Innovations 
Leave a comment