Innovation Theatre: The Good, The Bad, and The Self-Gaslighting

"How are you handling working for a company that is not innovative?"

Drop this question at your next team meeting. Watch the reaction.

Most likely, you'll be buried under an avalanche of examples proving how innovative your company is. It's like telling someone their child isn't behaving nice, in that it triggers an instant defensive response.

But here's the thing: "innovation" has become a meaningless term. Every company claims it. Every leader preaches it, yet most are actually engaged in what's commonly referred to as Innovation Theatre.

What is Innovation Theatre?

It's the corporate pageantry, consisting of symptoms such as: - Brainstorming sessions that go nowhere - Suggestion boxes collecting dust - Innovation labs that never ship - "Think tanks" that just... think

Here's the Plot Twist: That's OK

Innovation Theatre isn't inherently bad. In fact, it can be a starting point. When your company invests in this performance, they're saying something important: "We want to be seen as a place that embraces change."

That's your foot in the door.

The problem isn't the theatre itself. The problem is when you become too comfortable in your seat watching the show. Over time, companies start believing their own performance. They gaslight themselves into thinking they're innovative because they talk about innovation and act it out.

Feeling innovative becomes a substitute for innovation. You don't have to stop the show. But you do need to recognize it for what it is: Act 1, not the finale.

Instead of fighting the theatre, play your part while keeping your eye on the real goal.

Participate in the brainstorming sessions and attend the innovation meetings, but quietly push for actual experiments and real changes. Use each performance as an opportunity to build momentum toward tangible improvements.

Think of it as working within the system to gradually transform it from performative innovation to genuine change.

The Path Forward: Moving Beyond Performance

Real innovation isn't about feeling innovative. It's about making changes. Daily.

When someone says "I don't understand why we do X this way", don't just nod and move on. Dig in. Develop alternatives you can test. Do the digging to understand the initial conditions which led to how you do those things today. Then act.

You don't need your whole company aligned to start transforming innovation theatre into real change. What you need is a clear vision of what genuine innovation looks like, coupled with the willingness to start small and the persistence to keep going even when progress feels slow. Most importantly, you need a framework that lets you test changes safely, protecting both your ideas and your company while you prove what works.

Don't settle for just feeling innovative. The theatre can be Act 1 of your transformation story, but only if you're ready to move beyond the script.