How do you innovate and continue to do what you do best? Are they mutually exclusive? Do they each demand so much energy that a school or institution can only do one at a time? When money is tight and projections about future enrollment are guesses, why would a school choose to spend scarce money to innovate? What if the innovation does not work?
All of these valid questions are the essence of why change is so difficult. There are always reasons not to do something. Even not to do the thing that you are already committed to do - deliver the very best product you say you will. So how do you overcome inertia, fear, resistance, laziness or some combination thereof?
We suggest a very careful calculation of what it will cost you to change and what it will cost you to stay the same. Is not changing remaining just okay? Will it doom you down the road because while you are just fine now, others will surpass you? Can you afford not to innovate? If you become convinced you cannot afford to maintain status quo, then you have to find a way to communicate the urgency of the need to change to others. Truly, it often costs money to make money. Done wisely, an investment now in innovation and pushing further toward excellence may be your only choice.
