{"id":144031,"date":"2022-11-11T15:21:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T09:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regenesys.net\/reginsights\/?p=144031"},"modified":"2022-11-11T15:31:12","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T10:01:12","slug":"connecting-the-dots-what-it-takes-to-innovate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regenesys.net\/reginsights\/connecting-the-dots-what-it-takes-to-innovate","title":{"rendered":"Connecting The Dots: What It Takes To Innovate"},"content":{"rendered":"

You must have heard the legend about how Newton discovered gravity: one fine day he observed an apple drop from a tree and wondered what made it fall from a state of rest. Why would it move at all? It was a eureka moment that led to the recognition of a phenomenon, a force, later named gravity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While this is a story most of us know, have you ever noticed that Newton did not make or invent the apple that fell from the tree, or the force that made the apple fall? What he did was connect the dots through observation and contemplation, and later, experimentation, coming to understand and explain the concept of gravity and its laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Newton, recognised as <\/span>one of the greatest scientists in history, is <\/span>also credited with inventing the first practical reflecting telescope. But while he was an inventor, was he an innovator? The two terms are not interchangeable. And while everyone talks about innovation, very few understand what it actually means.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creative work, invention and innovation<\/b><\/p>\n

A creative work is an output that\u00a0 is \u201cnovel and appropriate\u201d \u2013 new, useful and relevant (Amabile, 2012). It may be intangible, such as an idea, or tangible, as with a product. It is worth noting that creativity \u2013 the ability or a process that leads to creative work \u2013 can be classified into two types:<\/span><\/p>\n

Big C creativity: <\/b>Creation of something novel that has value and relevance, and is essentially a breakthrough that transforms a domain \u2013 such as Newton\u2019s telescope, the internet, or a work for which you might receive a Nobel prize one day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Little c creativity: <\/b>Creativity that results in something new and of value but which is not a breakthrough. Examples: the new recipes you invent, a new tune you compose, or an improved product \u2013 say, a new Ford model.<\/span><\/p>\n

While invention is related to Big C (creation of something new or unique), innovation may be related to Big C or little c. The major difference lies in the fact that for a creative work to be termed an innovation, it must create an output that can be commercialised or converted into a product or service people demand and pay for, resulting in profit, widespread impact, or both (Kahn, 2018).<\/span><\/p>\n

While creativity leads to both invention and innovation, innovation is more about implementation of ideas to generate returns. Many inventions remain in research labs for reasons that range from not being technically feasible to being too costly \u2013 and some because while there might be a gap in the market, there is no market in the gap. So now you understand why I mentioned that though Newton was an inventor, by Kahn\u2019s definition he was not an innovator, as his telescope, due to difficulty in its construction, was not widely adopted.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to see why Apple Inc, which combines new technologies and ideas to create and take to market objects of value for which consumers pay handsomely, is known for innovation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Successful innovation entails more than creating a new product or service; it requires the product or service to be made accessible so that can be adopted by consumers to generate returns, or in the case of a nonprofit organisation, permit as many people as possible to benefit from what it provides.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At Regenesys Business School students practice and develop innovative thinking skills. Check out our innovative offerings <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kahn (2018) classifies innovation into three categories: innovation as an outcome, innovation as a process, and innovation as a mindset,<\/span><\/p>\n

Innovation as an outcome<\/b><\/p>\n

This refers to novel, useful results or outputs generated because of innovation efforts. Vuity, eyedrops that form liquid lenses within 15 minutes of application to correct blurred vision, is a good example of <\/span>product innovation<\/b> \u2013 a tangible, innovative output.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uber, when it was launched, was a <\/span>service innovation<\/b> that changed the way taxis operate.<\/span><\/p>\n

BMW engineered <\/span>process innovation<\/b> when it collaborated with Epic Games to create a virtual reality-based platform to design and \u201cexperience\u201d its cars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When an organisation changes two or more of these aspects of its operation, the result is referred to as <\/span>business model innovation<\/b> (Gassman <\/span>et al,<\/span><\/i> 2017):<\/span><\/p>\n