Innovation is the process of successfully introducing new ideas, methods, or things. Creativity and invention may drive innovation, but they are just its beginnings; the transition from concept to successful execution is what innovation’s really about.
The inventor Thomas Edison is often credited as inventor of the light bulb, but historians have since cited handfuls of inventors who perhaps should have taken that accolade. What is certain is that Edison was the best innovator. He took the idea, he made it work the best, and he built an ‘entire, integrated system of lighting’ which provides widespread, practical application. As Edison himself said: ‘genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration’. Creativity is important - but it’s just one part of the innovation process.
Skip forward 130 years, and innovation experts are using phrases like ‘operational excellence’ and ‘practical science’ when talking about innovation. The Economist argues that “the innovation process is steadily becoming a practical science to be measured, taught and managed.” For the lone individual like Edison, or the innovative global firms of today, attention has turned to mastering the ‘process’ of innovation. Firms are trying all sorts to innovate at innovation, from attracting inspirational leaders and creating innovation-friendly company cultures, to opening up to ideas from outside. And of course, there’s big bucks being thrown around.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said: “Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D [research and development] dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” A sentiment echoed by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who mused: “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.”
These quotes are interesting because they offer mixed messages. On one hand they highlight tangible features like leadership and people as important to innovation (things that businesses can really focus on getting good at). Then they allude to less measurable influences such as business agility, and the art of ‘getting it’. They suggest that - increasingly - innovation does not rely on size, power and money. And they support the notion that innovation is a process that can be measured and improved. But they also imply that part of innovation is more intangible. Innovation seems to sit somewhere between science and art: something that constantly frustrates those who can’t, and puts a smile on the face of those who can.
The daunting thing about innovation is that it’s the revolutionary, world-changing creations like the light-bulb and the Mac that fall under the spotlight. This type of innovation is inspirational, but the disruptive and grandiose nature of such change makes you wonder - as a creative individual or business - whether you can ever emulate such feats. The constant quest for the next big thing is part of what drives innovation, but this glosses over the equal importance of evolutionary, incremental innovation; the type that people and businesses do every day.
Because innovation is a process, it can be applied to constantly improve everyday lives and everyday businesses. Through day-to-day, on-the-job modifications of practice, products and services, incremental change offers a layman’s alternative to million-pound research and development projects and high-profile innovations. Often, it’s the small incremental improvements which contribute to increased profit margins, add up to competitive advantage, or simply make our lives easier.
Innovation is… the process of successfully introducing new ideas, methods, or things. It is difficult. It is there for the taking; by anyone from individuals with little money to global businesses with billions. It is small, incremental, evolutionary change and it is revolutionary, world-changing change. It is a process that goes beyond creativity and invention, and it is a process which is increasingly being measured, taught, managed, and mastered. It is part science, part art - because even the experts would agree there is an undeniable magic left in innovation.
Read - The business case for innovation
business i welcomes your views. Comment on this article and share your thoughts with our readers… What is innovation?
0 Responses to “Innovation is…”