When moisture in the air reaches a certain temperature and density, dew forms. Mist becomes water. Gas becomes liquid. Then, when water reaches a certain temperature and is still for long enough, ice crystals form. Water becomes ice; liquid transforms itself into a solid.
Phase changes still hold magic and mystery, despite all the explanations of physics, perhaps because of them.
Innovations themselves also seem to go through phase changes. An innovation moves from the early, more gaseous state of words, concepts and sketches, to a more liquid state of experiments and actions, simulations and observations, to a more solid state of what one of our clients calls a stable product. Managing through these phase changes takes a tremendous about of energy—not to mention, patience—waiting for (and possibly encouraging) the right combination of external conditions and 'internal' readiness to develop.
The physicists among you will know better whether phase changes in the physical world actually take more energy than do developments within the same state leading up to a phase change. You are also likely to know more about the mystery and magic of these phase changes in the natural world. However, unlike the science and predictability of phase changes with known materials, the timings of phase changes with innovations are difficult, if not impossible, to predict. Some can surprise us by how quickly they show up. Others never seem to happen at all.
Several years ago one of our clients essentially lost patience with an innovation that appeared to have been "in development" for too long. The new product concept and prototypes represented what many thought was a new category niche, in between two other well-known categories. Partly out of frustration, and partly out of the need to show something for the effort, the lead developer finally declared a ship date—the crystallization point. Such a declaration certainly shifted individuals' priorities. Organizationally, a phase change was underway. However, the product itself remained in the liquid state. It was introduced only to have it withdrawn in less than a year.
Unlike many other companies for whom failure in the market is equated with the last nail in the coffin, this client took the failure as simply a sign that the phase change--the crystallization they had been hoping for, had not occurred. This did not mean that it could not occur. It just hadn't happened yet. They realized that they hadn't quite gotten all the external conditions to line up well enough with the internal factors. They did not know enough about what made for crystallization with this product.
Eighteen months later, after some reworking of the product and some rewording of the message, the reintroduced version is doing better in the market than the first one. The second time around hasn't been exactly the charm for which they were hoping; however, they haven't given up because of first “failure.” In fact, they remain even more convinced of the opportunity, along with their own need for more patience, understanding and attempts to find what will make for the phase change they need for a stable product. This client knew from experience that phase changes go both ways: that they could return to the previous gaseous state and rethink and rework, knowing that “getting it right the first time” is largely a fantasy when it comes to innovation efforts.
What needs to happen at innovation dew points and innovation crystallization points may be different enough to make the former a poor predictor of the latter. This is one reason why productive experimentation is so essential to both the development and commercialization efforts for innovations. Given that we are dealing with novelty, the 'science' of what we are working with hasn't matured enough to give us certainty as to when and where dew or crystals will form. Hence, Stephan Thomke's counsel (from Experimentation Matters) is worth remembering: experiment early and often, and in the field. The more concrete evidence we can experience first hand at the dew (or are they “do”) points, the more confidence we may gain that our innovation is ripe enough for prime time.
This article was originally published in Innovating Perspectives in March 2006. For this and other back issues of our newsletter, please visit our website at innovationsthatwork.com or call (415) 460-1313.
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