There has been a fantastic and long running discussion on the LinkedIn group (Innovation Management Group) that I facilitate and participate called "How Important Is The Facilitator of an Innovation Workshop? "  It seems that most have agreed that a skilled  facilitator is indeed very important.  But what has been the topic "du jour" is the kind of facilitator/consultant/professional that is the most effective.

As I was typing my response to the latest string of arguments, I realized that this discussion might make a great blog topic.  I'll post the previous entry from the discussion string, along with my response here...but I encourage you to join the group and follow the entire thread as there are some brilliant points included within the full discussion, along with other great discussions and networking opportunities from the over 3300+ innovation practitioner members of the group.

From the "How Important Is The Facilitator of an Innovation Workshop?" Discussion:

Rich Notargiacomo:  President at Innovation Focus - Rochester; Past Chairman and President, Product Development and Management Association

Hamish: My experience agrees with your point about the value of combined consulting and coaching model. Some times, the client truly isn't sure what to do and/or may need some direction on process, new approaches, etc.and that's where the consultant can help. However, many times I've observed that when you "peel back the onion" the client really knows what to do, but just doesn't do it. That's where I come in with an active coaching approach and help people and organizations move into the "doing" mode - with processes and approaches that work. The combined model can very often provide clients what they need - at a more attractive cost.

Of course - it all depends on the specifics of the situation. One size does not fit all.

Paul R. Williams, PMP:  Executive Director at Think For A Change, LLC. and Sr. Manager-PMO & IT Innovation Champion at Thrivent Financial

Rich is absolutely right...one size or approach does not fit all. Each organization that reaches out for help with idea/innovation management does so for different reasons and from different places.

I've worked with some organizations who were starting from absolutely nothing, but were honestly eager to learn. These are the "dream" consulting and coaching engagements...they want to absorb all of the best/next practices, processes, facilitation of idea gen sessions, establishing communities of practice or a center of excellence, have solid executive leadership engagement and are willing to treat innovation as a true business discipline.

Then there are the poseurs, who clearly want to be "known" for innovation but make only a half-assed effort to solicit and consider ideas, layer bureaucracy on the initiative rather than effective processes and appoint hyper-sensitive and incompetent middle managers to "lead" the effort. Essentially, these folks are looking for you to appoint them "innovation leaders" so they can take that badge and put it on their marketing materials. I've "fired" two clients in my decade of being in business...and both were of this ilk.

That leaves the clients who are in the middle of that spectrum. The clients that want to be innovative but don't have a clue where to start. They are slightly cautious, as they have been burned by the "cheerleaders" before. They know, however, that it must work because some of their competitors are leap-frogging them with new products and services. Some are willing to dip their toe in the water and take a measured, incremental approach, while others are willing to take a more aggressive stance. This is the majority of my client base. They need to be sold on the concept...continuously. They have a core set of brave people, many of whom have been working at the grass-roots level for a long time within the organization. They need better tools, techniques, processes, guides and facilitators. Their leadership is willing to participate, but needs to see some results...quickly. They need a roadmap for ideas and innovation, and they need it to tie to their growth strategy. Sometimes, they just need to be pushed. They know what to do, but just need that extra level of confidence to get started. Now lets be honest, some of these clients will succeed, but many won't...even after my engagement and coaching. Success is truly up to them, and many simply don't have the persistence and perseverance to see it through.

But if there is one constant...it is that one size does not indeed fit all. Each client that comes forward for help does so from a different spot. The challenge is to find where that spot is and how to build a plan that moves them forward from that spot. The rest is up to the client.

So...what do YOU think?  Where is YOUR organization along this "spectrum?"  How do we get organizations to stop being "poseurs" and instead, start treating innovation as a true business discipline for growth?  Join the discussion here or at LinkedIN!