CCO Role in Innovative Disruption

What is the chief communicator’s opportunity in an era of innovative disruption? Give an ear to dare-to-dream employees?

Researchers associated with Accenture’s Institute for Higher Performance, underscore the prevalence of "devastating innovation" in virtually all business sectors and urge companies to encourage “seers” who dare to think what-if.

"The best way to embrace innovation while minimizing disruption,” say the researchers in a recent Washington Post article, “is to find those seers. Of course it’s hard. They’re often the most passionate and difficult employees. But learning to listen to them, especially when their future doesn’t match the one we’re expecting? That’s the kind of leadership that leads to real transformation."

Listening, of course, is a chief communicator’s specialty. Are CCO listening strategies in place to support the courage of in-house “seers” to help the company protect against, get ahead of, or generate current course disruption?