The Power of Disobedience: Building a Culture of Inovation

The Power of Disobedience: Building a Culture of Innovation in Your Company

In their book Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future, Joi Ito and Jeff Howe make a bold claim: “Nobody gets a Nobel Prize without disobedience.”

At first glance, this might seem counterintuitive. After all, aren’t rules and processes the backbone of successful organizations? But when it comes to innovation, the opposite is often true. True breakthroughs—whether in science, technology, or business—require challenging the status quo, questioning assumptions, and sometimes breaking the rules.

For companies, this raises an important question: Are you creating a culture where innovation can thrive, or are you stifling it with rigid structures and fear of failure?

Why Innovation Needs Space to Breathe

Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It requires an environment where employees feel empowered to experiment, take risks, and even fail. Without this freedom, creativity is stifled, and your organization risks falling behind in a world that’s changing faster than ever.

Consider some of the most innovative companies in history—Apple, Google, Tesla. What sets them apart isn’t just their products; it’s their culture. They’ve built workplaces where curiosity, experimentation, and even constructive disobedience are encouraged.

How to Build Space for Innovation

Creating a culture of innovation doesn’t mean throwing out all rules or abandoning accountability. Instead, it’s about striking a balance between structure and freedom. Here are three ways to get started:

1. Encourage Questioning
Create an environment where employees feel safe to challenge ideas, even those from leadership. Innovation often starts with asking, “Why do we do it this way?” or “What if we tried something different?”

2. Reward Experimentation, Not Just Success
If employees fear failure, they’ll stick to safe, incremental improvements rather than bold, game-changing ideas. Celebrate the process of experimentation, even when it doesn’t lead to immediate success.

3. Provide Time and Resources for Creativity
Innovation requires time to think, explore, and tinker. Consider initiatives like Google’s famous “20% time,” which allows employees to work on passion projects outside their core responsibilities.

The Cost of Inaction

In today’s fast-paced world, the biggest risk isn’t taking risks—it’s standing still. Companies that fail to innovate risk becoming irrelevant, no matter how successful they are today. By fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and yes, even disobedience, you can position your organization to thrive in the face of change.

As leaders, it’s our responsibility to create the conditions for innovation to flourish. So, ask yourself: Are you building space for your team to challenge the status quo? Or are you holding them back with outdated rules and fear of failure?

Remember, the next big idea might just come from someone who dares to disobey.

I share insights in my summary of "Whiplash" in my InnoGuidePodcast episodes #021 & #022 with new Episodes about innovation topics every Saturday!