Earlier this month I identified four distinct personality types that tend to be common within organizations when it comes to innovation.  The aim was to help organizations understand better the difficulty they are likely to face when combining doing what they already do as effectively as possible with innovating in new areas and ways.

This dichotomy is well known, with the innovators dilemma a well trodden piece of management lore.  Open innovation brings slightly different challenges, as not only are you dealing with the same issues inherent in breaking from the norm, but you are also dealing with the acceptance that important knowledge resides outside of your organization.

So it was interesting to read about 8 habits that UK innovation charity Nesta believe are required for open innovation to thrive.  The habits were derived after working with, and observing, the open innovation efforts of 10 UK charities.

Here are the 8 habits:

1. Resilience, especially when it comes to using feedback to improve
2. Bravery, especially when it comes to bucking the trend and going against how things have ‘always been done’
3. Boldness, especially when it comes to trying new technologies and processes that may disrupt how things are done
4. Courageous in showing their weaknesses and doubts, but still persisting with what they believe to be right
5. Sharing in both the risk and rewards of innovation, especially when it comes to collaborating with others
6. Forward thinking, and willing to look at the long-term picture rather than short-term goals
7. An experimenter who would rather test out their ideas to see if they work before committing financial and political resources to them
8. Coaches and collaborates with colleagues to help them with their own ideas

It’s an interesting list.  How many of those traits do you have yourself?