I’ve lately been reading books about “innovative” companies. Something I find interesting is that a lot of the companies mentioned didn’t innovate at all…at least not in the dictionary sense of the word. They simply did the opposite of what everyone else was doing or acted contrary to the advice of “experts.” Whether it was a bank staying open on weekends, a cookie company giving away free samples, on online music retailer removing DRM from songs, or a book store letting you browse their magazine collection without paying, one reason the companies got huge was because they bucked the trend. Rather than their innovation skills, they should be applauded for having the guts to try something different and stick with it.
That’s neat because a lot of companies get bogged down trying to create the next iPhone or Amazon.com instead of taking a simpler tack: ignoring the “right way” and trying something different. It takes talent to figure out which rules to ignore, but in the IT industry - where something like 70% of projects go over budget or never reach completion - it’s clear that the the trends need a little bucking.