Starting a few years ago, companies that wanted to innovate were finally learning to appreciate failure. They had taken the first steps to understanding that without a culture in which it was safe to fail no one would take the risks that lead to breakthroughs.

Google is held up as the archetype for innovation, but what exactly is it that gives them an edge? Is it really the 20% of time given people to work on their own ideas? Or the food and other perks about which the media loves to write. Or is there something more easily transferable that other companies can do?

Is there one single thing that holds companies back from building successful cultures that juice innovation, spark creativity and empower their employees/customers/investors?

You bet there is: fear!

Fear of being dumped/demoted; fear of being laughed at; fear of what bosses/employees/customers/investors will say when they have the chance; fear of being fired.

In fact, all of these fears can be trace to a basic, still-active, though unstated, policy for too many companies and/or managers—the messenger will be killed.

The idea that the bearer of bad news should not be blamed dates back to Sophocles in 442 B.C. and has been reiterated often in the intervening years—obviously, with only partial success.

Not killing the messenger needs to be instilled deep in the heart of each company’s cultural DNA.

The real question is not whether, but how far, companies will backslide as a result of the current downturn. And, to a great extent, that depends on how much power Wall Street’s short term thinking has lost.

Image credit: sxc.hu