Innovation Teams Must be Able to Cross the Knowing-Doing Gap
In their book, The Knowing-Doing Gap, authors Pfeffer and Sutton highlight four main reasons for what they call the Knowing-Doing Gap (the inability of an organization to act on insights):
(1) Talk vs. Action
(2) Memory vs. Thinking
(3) Fear vs. Knowledge
(4) Measurement vs. Judgement
These four reasons get straight to the point regarding some of the broader, organizational culture reasons for why many organizations have difficulties moving from Knowing (having insights) to Doing (acting on these insights).
My guess is that you’ll all see a little bit of yourselves as organizations in each of barriers to taking action.
(1) Talk vs. Action. This is about the tendency to mistake discussion or planning for actual implementation. It's the classic case of "analysis paralysis" where there's plenty of talk but little follow-through. Organizations need to ensure that discussions lead to tangible actions and outcomes, rather than becoming an end in themselves.
If you’ve been part of a conversation like, “Didn’t we talk about that 6 months ago?; why hasn’t anything been done about it?" you've experienced this underlying reason for not taking action.
(2) Memory vs. Thinking. This occurs in organizations when memory serves as a substitute for thinking. Relying solely on past experiences or precedents without critically evaluating them can stifle innovation and problem-solving. Just because something didn't work in the past doesn't mean it won't work in a different context or with some modifications. Encouraging critical thinking and a willingness to challenge assumptions can help overcome this barrier.
I am sure that all of you have been part of a conversation, sometime in your career, where someone says, “We tried that and it didn’t work.”. End of story. A situation in which people defer to what has been done historically (e.g., past precedent, custom or standard procedure) without reflecting, thinking about a new problem or a new challenge in a new way.
(3) Fear vs. Knowledge. Fear of failure can be a significant hindrance to taking risks and trying new approaches. Building a culture of psychological safety, where employees feel empowered to experiment and learn from mistakes, is crucial for fostering innovation and adaptation. Organizations should encourage a mindset shift from seeing failure as something to be avoided to viewing it as a valuable learning opportunity.
To encourage courageous behavior you need to drive out fear, be it fear of failure itself or fear of the consequences of getting it wrong. People need the opportunity to try new things and test out new ideas. To experiment, test, and learn. They need the knowledge gained thru experimentation as well as the knowledge that they have the freedom to learn from mistakes.
(4) Measurement vs. Judgment. While measurements and metrics are important for tracking progress and performance, they should not dictate decision-making to the exclusion of broader judgment and context. Organizations need to strike a balance between using data-driven insights and allowing room for qualitative judgment and intuition. Blindly focusing on what's measured can lead to tunnel vision and overlook important aspects that may not be easily quantifiable.
We all know that measures affect what people do. What is measured is presumed to be important. What gets measured gets done. What is not measured tends to be ignored. Often times people and organizations fall into this trap of simply focusing on and doing what is measured (or incentivized) despite their better judgment as to what should be focused on or should be done in a given situation.
The makeit toolkit for behavior change is a powerful toolkit to leverage when designing any form of behavioral change.
Crossing the knowing-doing gap using the makeit toolkit
(1) Talk vs. Action
To help overcome the tendency to equate talk with action and analysis paralysis, consider leveraging the following makeit strategies:
Makeit Timely: Ensure that discussions lead to timely actions by setting clear deadlines and providing context-specific information to prompt action when it's most likely to happen.
Makeit Achievable: Break down action plans into smaller, achievable steps to make it easier for individuals to translate discussions into tangible actions. Provide a sense of progress and accomplishment along the way to maintain momentum.
(2) Memory vs. Thinking
To help overcome the tendency for past organizational experiences or precedents to inform decision making without critically re-evaluating them, consider the following market strategies:
Makeit Intriguing: Spark curiosity and encourage individuals to challenge assumptions by presenting unfamiliar or novel information. Create an environment where questioning the status quo is encouraged and rewarded.
Makeit Empowering: Empower individuals to critically evaluate past experiences and make informed decisions based on evidence and analysis. Provide opportunities for learning and skill development to enhance critical thinking capabilities.
(3) Fear vs. Knowledge
To further cultivate courageous behavior you need to drive out fear, be it fear of failure itself or fear of the consequences of getting it wrong. Consider the following makeit strategies:
Makeit Social: Foster a supportive and inclusive environment where individuals feel comfortable sharing their experiences and learning from others. Leverage social connections and peer support to mitigate fears of failure and encourage experimentation.
Makeit Attractive: Frame failure as a valuable learning opportunity and highlight the benefits of taking calculated risks. Make the pursuit of knowledge and innovation attractive by emphasizing the potential rewards and growth opportunities associated with overcoming fears.
(4) Measurement vs. Judgement
To avoid tunnel vision based upon solely looking at what is being measured and take a step back to consider the broader context and qualitative judgment and intuition consider the following makeit strategies:
Makeit Tangible: Provide tangible incentives and rewards for qualitative judgment and intuition to complement data-driven insights. Encourage individuals to trust their instincts and use qualitative measures to inform decision-making.
Makeit Obvious: Draw attention to the broader context and consequences of decisions beyond what can be measured. Use vivid cues and reminders to remind individuals to consider qualitative factors and exercise judgment in their actions.
Final thoughts
As you put together teams of people to help drive innovation within your organization, be sure to thoughtfully consider how to select the right individuals for this team.
First of all, rather that selecting people specialized in a specific domain (e.g., marketing, finance, or operations), select what are sometimes referred to as T-shaped people. T-shaped people are individuals having deep expertise in at least one domain area, but, whom are broad in their understanding of other functional disciplines as well. In understanding other domains, they can also relate to what is important to people whose job is focused on these domains. They have an inherent ability to think and work cross-functionally more so than others.
Secondly, and I think most important, select people whom you think can overcome the Knowing-Doing Gap as described. Individuals whom exhibit the following behaviors:
a) collaborate and work well with others;
b) are prone to action rather than simply talk;
c) are able to reflect on past initiatives and apply critical thinking to a new situation; and
d) are courageous not fearing mistakes; and whom lean on good judgment and understanding.
In putting together an innovation teams it is critical that you think about the overall makeup of the team. Not simply considering knowledge or skill, but, attitude as well.
This group of people will collectively champion, promote, sell, and help execute your CX innovation initiatives to improve customer experience (product or service).