Leaders in half the organizations in North America are not satisfied with the level of innovation. A series of surveys over the past 15 years by organizations such as IBM, Accenture and Ideaction have delivered the same results:

-      Over 80% of the leaders believe that innovation is important for their future success

-      Less than 30% of the same leaders are satisfied with the current level of innovation in their organizations

This means that half of the organizations in North America want more innovation and are not getting enough. Our research has identified two main causes for the innovation gap.

-      Over the past 25 years we have moved from an industrial economy to a knowledge and service economy. The problem is that most established organizations have changed too slowly and they still use the same business models and practices as they did 25 years ago.

-      During the same period, the nature of the problem we face has also evolved. 25 years ago most of the problems were complicated and the analytical problem solving process we learned in school worked well. Today, most of the problems we face are complex; there are no obvious answers and they include uncertainties and ambiguities that cannot be eliminated. Today, the old thinking and problem solving skills we learned in school are not enough.

Leaders know that if they keep doing the same things, their results cannot get better. Change in our environment is accelerating and their organizations are standing still, lame ducks in the path of competitors or the next crisis.

But what can the leaders do?  They have never learned how to deal with complex problems and how to prepare their organization to support innovation. Most MBA graduates have barely talked in school about innovation and innovative organizations.

There are few good models for leaders to follow, including the models we present in our new book Innovative Intelligence.  Leaders need to act promptly, time is against them.