Processes and procedures can greatly obstruct innovation from flourishing at an airport when they create the following barriers.

Barrier: Lack of Motivating Goals

Both staff and leaders like to be acknowledged for their hard work and efforts in making changes, whether big or small. They also like to see how their work meets an airport's goals and how they can impact customers. When there are no incentives or rewards for taking risks and trying new things, innovation most likely will not happen. Below are resources to help overcome this barrier.

• Play 11: Develop a Unifying Strategic Plan
• Play 21: Discover What Motivates Employees
• Supplemental Resources
  • “Creating an Innovation Strategy Is a Team Effort!” by Dan Toma (article)
  • Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (book)

Barrier: Lack of Time

When leaders and staff have too much to do and not enough time to do any of it well, it may mean they are trying to meet too many conflicting priorities. This often happens when strategic plans are not clear on the true priorities. It may seem counterintuitive, but to help solve this dilemma, devoting more time to problem-solving or speculation might help set priorities better and reach new goals. Below are resources to help overcome this barrier.

• Play 1: Prioritize Innovation
• Play 8: Support Open Dialogue
• Play 22: Structure Time for Speculation
• Supplemental Resources
  • “How Do Your Employees Feel about Your Innovation Strategies?” by Jessica Day (article)
  • The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell (book)
  • Leadershift: The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace by John C. Maxwell (book)

Barrier: Lack of Training

It can be hard for airports to find the budget and time to devote to training. But without this essential piece that contributes to a culture of learning, innovation will have a hard time emerging. Below are resources to help overcome this barrier.

• Play 19: Create a Collaborative Work Environment
• Play 23: Provide Innovation-Related Learning Experiences
• Supplemental Resources
  • “Accelerate!” by John P. Kotter (article)
  • “Building a Culture of Innovation: A Practical Framework for Placing Innovation at the Core of Your Business” by Cris Beswick, Derek Bishop, and Jo Geraghty (book)

Barrier: Working in Silos

Working alone or in departmental silos to solve complex issues can be an exercise in futility. Innovation cannot happen in a vacuum. Below are resources to help overcome this barrier.

• Play 10: Improve Communications
• Play 24: Collaborate with Internal and External Partners
• Supplemental Resources
  • Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh (book)
  • Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Chris Fussell (contributor), Tantum Collins (contributor), and David Silverman (contributor) (book)
  • Design Thinking: Business Innovation by Maurício Vianna, Ysmar Vianna, Isabel K. Adler, Brenda Lucena, and Beatriz Russo (book)

Barrier: Lack of Shared Information

Airports do not always take the time to reflect and record lessons learned after trying something new. When they do not collect this type of information, it gets lost, and continuous learning cannot be supported. When information is not collected and communicated to others, mistakes are bound to be repeated. Below are resources to help overcome this barrier.

• Play 10: Improve Communications
• Play 25: Focus on Learning by Transferring Knowledge
• Supplemental Resources
  • The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker by Brad Lomenick (book)
  • The Disruption Mindset by Charlene Li (book)
  • “The Healthy Business Innovation Playbook” from the Business for Social Responsibility (article)