It's 2010. Where's My Jetpack?

As we leave the "aughts" (rhymes with "naughts") and enter the (what should we call this next decade, the "tens"? The "teens"?), it is clear that a large part of the population is disappointed. Not just because the last decade was the worst in history for stock market performance, but because the world has not innovated as we all imagined it would many moons ago.

A new Zogby/ScoopDaily poll reveals that nearly a third (32%) of Americans say they believed there would be greater technological advances by 2010. I'll admit I'm one of those optimists. I grew up watching the Jetsons fly around in jetpacks, the technology for which seemingly has been around my entire lifetime (watch "The Rocketeer" on cable sometime). I'm no closer to my jetpack today than I was when I used to watch cartoons in footy pajamas.

Beliefs on technological innovation are squarely generational. The poll shows that those aged 18-30 are much less likely (13%) than those in older generations to say the technological advancements up until now have exceeded their expectations. Those 70 and older (34%) are the group most likely to say we are more advanced than they thought we would be by 2010. Most disappointed? It's the 35- to 54-year-olds (36%, or the Jetson-watching generation), who are more likely to say they thought there would have been greater tech advances by 2010.

Many business professionals fit into that most-disappointed demographic, of course, and maybe this helps explain the findings of a new i4cp study, which we'll be publishing and presenting later this month. It inquired about the major issues companies will be facing in 2010, asking about both the importance of those issues and organizations' effectiveness in dealing with them. Although we'll save most of the findings for later, I can tell you that one of the items that intrigued us was "creativity and innovation." Out of 53 issues, it was ranked third in importanceoverall and, even more telling, was the single most critical issue among high market-performing companies with 10,000 or more employees. That is, despite their market success, such large organizations generally recognize that they've not yet mastered the all-important art of innovation, making it a crucial issue for 2010.

For such companies, any failures to innovate are more than just an emotional letdown over childhood fantasies; they're a sign that their bottom lines will be eroded in the near future. i4cp research shows that innovation is a key component to market performance, and it's one that is ultimately the responsibility of senior leaders. A previous study i4cp did on this subject summed it up quite well: "Executives at all levels have a responsibility to lead and stimulate innovative thinking across the entire enterprise. Stockholders, employees and customers count on executives to create a healthy, innovative work environment."

So, the crucial question becomes, "How do today's leaders continue to create that healthy, innovative work environment?"

More and more leaders are recognizing that the human capital function (that is, "HR") can play an important role in helping them create an innovative culture. Much can be learned from the example of i4cp-member company Qualcomm, which is one of the most successful startups in U.S. history. "The CEO can't be the only one responsible for innovation, particularly when a company has grown as rapidly as we have," said Tamar Elkeles, vice president of Qualcomm's Learning Center, at last year's i4cp Annual Member Conference. Giving an impassioned speech about how to keep an innovative culture alive and thriving, she stated, "We have focused many of our efforts on ‘intrapreneurship,' or, in other words, growing our own entrepreneurs internally and keeping them - and their ideas - at Qualcomm. It's safe to say we have seen significant business benefits from these initiatives."

Elkeles' presentation, titled "Fostering Intrapreneurship in Challenging Times," outlined several initiatives that she and her team have created or manage:

• A yearlong email campaign as part of the new-employee onboarding experience - titled "52 Weeks" - which provides a weekly story to new employees about Qualcomm's innovative culture.
• An annual employee trade show, which showcases projects, technologies and products across the organization and is designed to educate employees about innovations from different parts of the company. This is both a physical trade show on the San Diego campus and a virtual trade show for remote employees.
• A technology forum, called "QTech," which provides a platform for engineers to share new ideas and technical projects with all of Qualcomm, particularly the senior R&D team. The QTech Forum is a multiday event showcasing 30 new ideas, out of approximately 100 submissions each year, which are presented live to employees around the globe.
• The Qualcomm Innovation Network (QIN), which is a way to post new ideas, get feedback on them, and fund the best ones. Two rounds of judging involving senior executives eventually produce winning ideas, which get further developed within the company. To date over 1,800 ideas have been submitted on QIN, with dozens of internally funded "startups" created as a result.

So, despite the lack of jetpacks in 2010, business leaders should not be pessimistic. Emulating the likes of great companies such as Qualcomm, they can harness "intrapreneurship," partnering with human capital professionals and other workforce managers to create a healthy, innovative work environment. That's an effort that should at least make the CEO's spirits - if not yet the body - soar to new heights.

i4cp's 4-Part Recommendation:

1. The Talk. Leaders can emphasize the importance of innovation by maintaining regular employee communication and by taking part in visible internal initiatives such as employee trade shows and idea programs. Internal communication specialists can play a big role here. Leaders can also promote feedback that comes from outside the company, such as customer input or the results of new product trials.
2. The Walk. Leaders can demonstrate their commitment to new ideas by setting a clear course for innovation and facilitating and rewarding idea generation through internal programs. The human capital function can create and spearhead these efforts. Without visible evidence from the top that employee innovation is, in fact, critical to business results and embraced internally, workers are unlikely to reach that conclusion on their own and are likely to take their good ideas elsewhere.
3. The Work. Leaders must acknowledge employees' need for challenging work by assigning tasks that fit well with their skills and their individual preferences. Leaders must also encourage employees to question how things are done and not punish people for making mistakes. Forced time away from their regular job to focus on new ideas sends a clear signal about what is important.
4. The Perks. Rewarding ideas developed internally, both in recognition and monetarily, also sends a clear signal about what is valued in the company. Intrapreneurship shouldn't be an exception - it should be adopted as a cultural norm if a company wants to grow and innovate at the same time.

P.S. If you want more innovative ideas for your company, members are invited to hear thought-provoking presentations such as Dr. Elkeles' at our Annual Membership Conference, which is less than a month away. Please join us! It's looking as though we will have a record turnout this year. If you can't make it, Tamar and I will be giving additional presentations on innovation this year at various conferences, such as the Training 2010 Conference & Expo.