
Unfortunately, labor eliminating efficiency improvements offer a quicker return on investment than labor demanding inventions and innovations. Impatient investors would rather opt for the short term ROI at the expense of the long term. This investor mentality perpetuates the declining demand for labor and more and more of the workforce in advanced societies are becoming underutilized and incapable of consuming. With fewer consumers the need for production falls even further. Even though business leaders are increasingly conscious of the need for creativity and innovation, very few see it as the path to the paycheck, production is still the priority and what most business managers are incentivized to do. The big question is how to turn this consciousness into action? Production has definitely become systematized and systems produce consistencies so, the question becomes, how do we create invention and innovation systems so that they can be produced consistently? Fortunately, there are companies that are systematizing innovation and we all can learn from them. Try Proctor and Gamble former CEO A.G. Lafley’s “Game Changer” as a good starter. Schedule innovation the way you schedule production is another good starter.