The Exnovation Conundrum: Why We Struggle to Let Go
Why do we cling to outdated practices when better alternatives exist? My latest post explores “The #Exnovation Conundrum”, the often-ignored struggle to let go. Inspired by John Kimberly’s work.
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Today, I’ve been thinking about the Baldridge #innovation framework through an #exnovation lens. Its application is actually quite interesting for businesses open.substack.com/pub/exnov…
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#“Everyone loves an #innovation, an idea that sells.” But what about the ideas we stopped selling? In my latest piece, I put the innovation-bias quote under the #exnovation lens — and ask what’s quietly being phasing out? 👉 exnovationfiles.substack.com/p/what-ge…
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What If “Betting on the Unusual” Meant Letting Go?
A recent article on innovation leadership claims that “great leaders bet on the unusual.” But what if the most unusual — and courageous — bet isn’t adding something new, but choosing what to stop?
We talk about risk as the price of innovation. But exnovation carries its own kind of risk: reputational, political, even emotional. Letting go of familiar products, outdated systems, or embedded habits can feel counter-intuitive — even reckless. Yet it’s often essential.
The article celebrates collisions of diverse perspectives as the spark for innovation. But those same collisions can raise uncomfortable questions:
“Why are we still doing this?” “What happens if we stop?”
Real leadership means creating a culture that embraces those questions too — not just the chase for what’s next. It means pruning, not just planting. Unmaking, not just making.
Progress isn’t always additive.
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What if we found and replaced #innovation with #exnovation in responsible leadership and business? open.substack.com/pub/exnov… Rethinking leadership, progress, and performance through the lens of letting go.
