"The Innovator's Paradox" from the Little Black Book of Innovation

How do you know when it's time to innovate? Scott D. Anthony, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, of Innosight, and best-selling author of The Little Black Book of Innovation, How It Works, How to Do It, introduces Day One of his 28-day innovation program: Start before you need to. Otherwise, you'll encounter what Anthony calls the "innovator's paradox." When times are good, you have the ability to do things differently, but not much urgency or desire. When times are bad, you urgently need to do things differently, but it's punishingly hard. Anthony points to the U.S. Postal Service, whose slow response to the disruption of electronic communication has resulted in layoffs and the possibility of scaling back delivery.

For more on how to become a world-class innovator, read The Little Black Book of Innovation (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012).

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