Innovation is essential for businesses to grow and remain relevant in today’s ever-

changing marketplace.

However, innovation can also be a major source of frustration for companies, as it can
be difficult to encourage and sustain within an organization. Furthermore, it also
comes with challenges that take a while to overcome.

In this article, we will explore the top five biggest challenges in innovation, and offer
some suggestions on how to solve them.

Let’s start.

Why it’s important to spot which challenges plague your

business
Finding and resolving the problems plaguing your business can significantly benefit
the company and its employees.

The earlier you can fix organizational issues, the sooner you can make your office a
healthy workplace and devote more time and resources to other business-related
concerns.

When it comes to innovation, there are three major reasons why it’s important to
identify which challenges affect your business:

If you don’t know what your problems are, you can never solve them.

Figure out what difficulties are holding the company back from progressing. Once
you’ve found them, focus on fixing those issues. Addressing these problems
effectively can make a noticeable difference that will lead to results.
However, some problems are just too big or complex to solve alone. You will need to
rally your employees together to come up with a plan to solve whatever challenges
you face.

This means that innovation must come from the top down, with company leaders
setting an example and empowering their employees to think outside the box.

The problems that plague your business today can be indicators of deeper,
more serious organizational issues tomorrow.

Every major problem starts with what seems to be a minor inconvenience. By spotting
which challenges plague your business today, you can prevent them from
snowballing into bigger, more difficult-to-solve problems tomorrow.

You need to have a process for tracking and investigating every issue that arises, no
matter how minor it may seem.

This includes having protocols for dealing with complaints and suggestions from
employees, as well as establishing channels for reporting problems. Creating this type
of system can be daunting, but it’s worth every effort.

Not only will it help you identify and solve the biggest problems you have. It will also
make your office a more productive and positive workplace.
Knowing what challenges are affecting you today can help you reassess your
company’s innovation efforts.

If these problems are recurring, then it might be the perfect time for you to change
your approach.

Once you notice that the steps you are taking today aren’t making much progress,
study the problem harder and brainstorm other potential solutions that will.

Remember, to innovate and grow your business, you need to be able to identify and
overcome the challenges that are hindering your progress.

What are the biggest challenges in innovation?

Here are the top five biggest challenges in innovation and how to overcome them:

1. Resources to execute

Your innovation resources refer to anything that the organization can use to achieve
its goals. These assets include people, time, and money. However, these resources can
be problematic in various ways.

Always the same people who work on innovation

If you’re always asking the same people to work on innovation, they may eventually
become overburdened and less effective. This is because they’re not given the chance
to recharge and refresh their creativity.

As a result, it’s important to mix things up and allow different employees to take on
the challenge of innovation. This will help keep everyone engaged and excited about
the process.
Moreover, encourage your employees to develop an innovative mindset by assigning
them to work on various innovation projects. Build a clear innovation plan along with
your trained and experienced innovators. Let the others sit in, learn, and observe.

In addition, create a rule to train colleagues and do innovations. This way, you will be
able to scale not only the innovators’ group but also your innovation efforts in general.

Business is not participating in innovation

Sometimes, a business is not participating in innovation because some people see it as

too risky, while others do not understand its value.

In times like these, it’s important for company leaders to be champions of innovation
and lead by example.
Show them how innovation can benefit the business and the bottom line. Share case
studies and stories of businesses that have benefited from taking risks and being
innovative.

Help them see how innovation can help the business grow and be more successful.

Interesting innovation projects but no people who can follow up

A common challenge in innovation is having interesting projects but having no one to

follow up on them.
This happens when the people who are responsible for executing the project are not
the ones who are actually behind the idea that brought that project to life in the first
place.

This problem can lead to a lot of wasted time and effort, as well as frustration on the
part of everyone involved.

In order to avoid this, it’s important to have a clear plan on how the project will be
executed and who will be responsible for each step. This step includes assigning
specific tasks and deadlines, as well as creating a timeline for the entire project.

It’s also important to make sure that everyone involved is aware of such significant
details and clearly understands what their role is in the entire process.

Have them follow up on the innovation projects they’ve started until they are
completed successfully.

Innovation projects are on top of current work

Innovation projects are often seen as something on top of the organization’s current
work instead of being part of it. This process is often seen as something that’s extra or
non-essential to the business. Hence, it’s often underfunded and understaffed.

This is the reason why it is necessary to integrate innovation into the core of the
business. It has to be seen as a priority, so everyone should be involved in the process
from the top down.

No money for hiring experts or technology

It can be expensive to hire innovation experts or buy any related technology.

However, one ultimate way to overcome this setback is to look for free or low-cost
resources. There are many online resources that can be helpful, particularly
articles, blog posts, and tutorials.

There are also plenty of free and low-cost tools that can be used for innovation
projects, such as open source innovation software or any free and low-cost alternative
to expensive tools.

2. Engagement of the business owner

The engagement of the business owner or decision-maker is another common

challenge in innovation. This is because they are the ones who need to sign off on the
project and give it the green light.

Often, they are not as involved in the day-to-day operations of the business and may
not be as up-to-date on the latest trends. As a result, they may not be that
supportive of the company’s innovation projects.

No engagement and support hinders the innovation efforts in the company

In order to get the business owner or decision-maker on board, it’s important to show
them how the project will benefit the business. Share with them the goals of the
project and how it will help the business grow.

Also, be sure to keep them updated on the progress and get their feedback along the
way. This way, they’ll be more likely to see the value in the project and give their
support.

3. Lack of a system

Another challenge in innovation is the lack of a system that tracks progress, the lack
of innovation strategies, and the lack of a strong innovation culture.
Without a proper system in place, it can be difficult to know whether the project is on
track or if there are any problems that need to be addressed right away. Likewise, the
lack of innovation strategies creates unclear directions, objectives, and priorities.
To overcome this, it’s important to develop a clear system along with specific
milestones. That way, you can measure the impacts of your innovation projects.

Plus, by establishing good innovation strategies and strong innovation culture, you can
ensure that every stage of the innovation process is done efficiently.

Use some tools that can help you keep an eye on your breakthroughs and setbacks, or
anything that could detect potential issues.

4. Decision making

Making decisions is often one of the most difficult parts of innovation. This is because
there are often many different stakeholders involved in the process. Each person may
have their own opinion on the best course of action.

As a result, it can be difficult to come to a consensus. Once this happens, the entire
innovation process slows down. Plus, there may be disagreements on what direction
the project should take.

Hence, creating a clear roadmap for every innovation project will help speed up
the decision-making process and establish where these efforts are truly headed.

Look for innovation software that allows any form of voting and consensus-building,
like Accept Mission. Set deadlines for each stage of the project to promote awareness
of how much time is left to make a decision.

5. Strategic alignment

The final challenge is ensuring that innovation is aligned with the overall strategy of
the business.

This can be difficult because innovation often happens outside of normal day-to-day
operations. Hence, it can be hard to see how it fits into the big picture.

This is the reason why you should discuss how innovation will fit into your
business strategy. Everyone in the company has to be aware of the goals and
objectives of the business.
Plus, they need to know how their work will contribute to the success of the company.
Only then can they start to see how innovation can actually help the company achieve
success, growth, and development.

Other minor challenges that hinder innovation

Unempowered innovation teams

The innovation team is often given a lot of responsibility but not enough authority to
voice out their suggestions or contribute to the decision-making process of the project.
Such restrictions lead to frustration and a lack of trust.

As a result, teams may not be able to implement their ideas or feel motivated to come
up with new ones.

Hence, involve your innovation team in the entire process and get their input before
making decisions that can affect the progress of the project. Make everyone feel heard
and collaborate with them.

Impractical expectations for innovation

Some businesses have unrealistic expectations for innovation. They expect it to

happen overnight and produce results that are just as immediate.

However, in reality, this is often not the case. Innovation takes time, and results may
not be immediately apparent.

Set realistic expectations for innovation. That way, you won’t be disappointed if the
results don’t happen as quickly as you want them to. Additionally, it’s important to
remember that innovation is a journey, not a destination.
The goal is to continuously move forward and make progress, even if it’s slow.

Resistance to change

There will always be resistance to change, especially when it comes to innovation.

People are creatures of habit. They’re used to doing things a certain way and may not
be open to new ideas.

This is why it’s crucial to educate people on why change is necessary. Show them
how the new innovation will benefit them and the company as a whole. Once they
understand the importance of change, they’ll be more likely to accept it.

Futile innovation toolbox

A lot of businesses around the world invest in innovative tools and resources yet fail
to see any results. And it could be because they’re not using the right tools for their
needs.

When choosing innovation tools, it’s important to first assess the needs of your
business, like:

 What are you trying to achieve?

 What are your goals?

Once you have a clear understanding of these things, you’ll be able to choose the
appropriate tools that can help you reach those goals. Investing in the wrong tools can
waste time and money, so it’s important to be strategic about it.

Overcoming innovation challenges

Innovation is essential for businesses to grow and stay competitive. However, there
are a few challenges that can hinder innovation. The good news is that there are ways
to overcome these challenges.

By being aware of them and taking the necessary steps to address them, you’ll be on
your way to a more innovative company.

Encourage a culture of innovation by sharing your company’s vision and values with
your employees. Let them know that you’re open to new ideas and that you value their
input.

Empower them to come up with their own ideas and share them with you. Finally,
show them that you’re willing to take risks and try.