Innovators and Ritualists

According to Robert Merton, an American sociologist of the early twentieth century, societies have socially acceptable goals and the acceptable means to reach these goals.  However, there are those subgroups that are not able to use the means to reach the goals, thus they become innovators in order to reach the goals.  In this case an innovator is not what we have come to expect, but rather is someone who found a way to reach the goal through non-acceptable means, and I find this to be a very apt description of who an innovator truly is.  Let’s take this into the workplace….

Many companies say they value innovation, and there are some that truly do value innovation for it is with innovation that comes new ways, often more efficient ways of reaching a desired goal such as an increase in the customer base.  But most companies do not encourage innovation and will in fact reprimand those who attempt to be innovative.  I cannot even begin to name the number of times that I brought an idea before management only to be verbally patted on the head and told to go do my “real” job.   

Merton goes on to talk about those who follow the means to reach a goal without really caring about the goal itself, and labels these people as ritualists.  I propose that those companies who say they value innovation but do not actively pursue employees who can be innovators are in fact ritualists.  They come into the office each morning doing the same things they have done every day, spinning their wheels and wondering why their customer base is dwindling.  They may in fact even change an aspect of their daily work habits thinking that they are innovative but in fact they are standing still and digging themselves deeper into the same rut. 

Being innovative means to find new ways, currently unacceptable ways, to reach the desired goal.  If a company really wants to be innovative perhaps they should enable their employees to be innovative rather than squashing the passion and desire to excel.