An Innovative Diatribe

Some recent musings on innovation, novelty, and museums--names changed to protect the innocent. This was written in support of a colleague's report (though it was not cited, so I'm sure somewhere along the line this will look like it was lifted....ah well).

April 26, 2007

Novelty and innovation go hand in hand. They both require newness, a sense of change, or a freshness of ideas. Innovation means taking risks, looking for new ways to do the same old thing, to turn an idea upside down. Novelty has appeal for its newness. At the same time, novelties often wear thin or become trivial and frivolous, but at their core, they must be innovative. Innovation stems from freedom of thought.

To be innovative in a museum means thinking at multiple levels, it means focusing in on the popular culture, on the aliveness of humans, of the novelty of wonder. To be innovative means we must be looking at ideas from multiple perspectives, with different lenses, and taking ideas off-center. A childlike sense of the world can help a museum create that wonder. Inspiring and supporting creative, divergent thinking can create the imagination that leads to wonder. We can find this through the arts, through technology and new media, and through re-imaginings of the past.

A museum has a responsibility to create conditions that motivate unique ideas and approaches. This cannot be done under stringent codes and dictates, or the particularities of an individual. Creativity that leads to innovation must be nurtured, supported, focused, and celebrated. Many museums are behind on innovation. We have not moved toward enough unusual, unique, or creative ideas in our work to call attention to who we are and what we do. There are many others who are ahead. While we may be in the forefront of our local peers, other museums, science centers, and history museums are putting innovation on display.

No large, successful museum can rest on the laurels of “biggest”, “largest”, or “most”, of anything. Size is a liability. An endowment is a liability. The big museums should be doing more with what they have. They should be encouraging more opportunities for staff to take risks, to go out on a limb with a crazy idea, or a new twist on an old theme. Why? Because if when we call ourselves a leader, we must show others how to learn from mistakes, how to encourage creativity, and how to support our staff. The biggest asset of any museum is the collective brain power that exists within the building. Smaller museums are doing it better. Less endowed museums are doing it better. There are no dreams to chase now. The public is more discerning than ever. If our exhibits are to be extraordinary, we’re not keeping up. What will delight, engage, and enrich the visitor is where we can be more innovative.

We are showing our age. To keep up we have to be aware, we have to make efforts to look broadly for ideas. We need to read outside our field. We need to visit all kinds of places, museums, art centers, manufacturing, business. We need to collaborate more and be willing to admit our deficiencies. We need to recognize that the quirky idea might connect with more people than we think. We need to listen to our visitors. We need to see what others do and learn from it. We must learn from our mistakes and be willing to admit them. We must pay attention to what our audience thinks, what they want, and what they need. We should put our faith in staff to do this.

What is innovative? It is more than vision. Innovation comes through processes, methods, concepts, ideas, systems, and programs. Many big museums were innovators in the past, but now many seem more cautious and less ambitious.

Creating an innovative environment is more than “fish” philosophy and sound financial strategies. It requires the opportunity of key thinkers to be creative, to explore the possibility of ideas, and to have time to play, imagine, and create. The museum should not suffer for a lack of inspiration, the very nature of our audiences, our collections, and our staffs should suggest otherwise.

If we in museums are to be innovative, we must find a way to insure that staff are focused on the best thinking that comes from
--flexible thinking,
--looking for the next big thing in every thing we experience, read, or discover from the farm report to the toy convention,
--being curious and thinking broadly,
--taking risks and being okay with failure,
--recognizing success and providing positive reinforcement,
--encouraging idea generation at all levels of the organization
--being willing to learn from others.