Innovation – Part I – How it Works

Input Process for Innovative Technologies

Innovation has moved our society forward. The planet tells its stories also by the landmarks of invention. Bright discoveries, brilliant ideas, minds graced with an inspiration, a will, with creativity. Is innovation limited to a few? In the next few posts of this series, we want to look closely at the innovation process, when, how and who innovates in society. There are many analysts who say that with respect to the “when”, the EVER is the time to innovate. In a sense, one cannot disagree much with this. These inspiring ideas can come at any time, right? However, it fits another analysis, thinking as a life cycle of innovation. Are there external moments (in relation to a company for example) or internal moments where we can bet more innovation, or perhaps in certain phases and categories of innovation? For these considerations, it would be interesting to conceive what kind of stimuli – external and internal – can provoke innovations.

Since innovation is a new way of doing something, of creating or revising some process of actions, this will usually be inspired by some association of ideas, some pure idealization that can arise (in the interpretation of the idealizer) and retouch it, in the face of some practical application.

The stimuli thus need not be relative to the theme which will receive a new vision. By association, one can conceive this “new”. This makes sense to sow the innovation, since it is natural that the processes of innovation with stronger association already have more cases of use implemented, I mean, more innovation in the practice. Therefore, choosing to create distant from the destination of the theme in which you want to innovate, can be a strategy. Being distant (figuratively or not) from the problem, as they say, can bring good fruit. Therefore, many creative people invest in very different experiences of their activity (where they want to innovate), to have insights, to think “out of the box”.

Think “out of the box”

This question of associations of innovations inspired by the destination theme, more or less glued to the relation innovation vs theme to innovate, makes us think of the types of innovations that exist. There are many classifications in this sense, but usually these types are pointed out as:

Routine Innovation vs. Breakthrough Innovation.

In the case of routine innovations, these are changes that are commonly inspired by the process itself. They are side changes as to the existing process, can prove very different results and are welcome for time or economic process improvements, over the product or service, reaching gains and final quality at the end. It has a better-known cycle, can be triggered with management actions more easily and process specialists, often have a competitive advantage in routine innovations.

On the other hand, drastic or disruptive innovation can prevail in younger processes, where there is a greater chance of “discoveries”. It is one of the main goals and opportunities for improvement. It has a steeper acceptance, adhesion, and utilization curve as compared to evolution by routine innovations. In the first case, one can better control the cycle, in another it is more about creativity, with insights out of the box, and it becomes more difficult to predict the occurrences and even the success of the innovation, even if it encourages it. It cannot be controlled, but it does not mean that it should not be encouraged. Creative people, eager to make their mark and suggest changes are everywhere. In this sense, one cannot predict when there will be innovation, but one can always allow, listening, promoting meetings, bringing new people, exchanging experiences.

Incremental Innovation vs. Radical Innovation

It is another common antagonism. The first idea is over something existing, where a product or a process is reviewed. As a result, something new may appear, but it comes from a base, and this way of thinking, of doing, or of building, receives something new that makes it different, whether in the result or in the means of producing. Radical innovation often brings an end to current processes. An entirely different process is introduced. Or even a new product or service will replace the old one. It can better serve the consumers of that or even make them prefer it to the other, meeting their essential “need”.

This makes us think about the stimuli of innovating, when to innovate, what to do to innovate. Recognizing value or rewarding is an important requirement. Understanding the different types of innovation, how they might be given, is important for the right incentive in each case. It takes a strategy, a program, to open the space for innovations to occur. In the next section, we’ll look closely at this.

(to be continued)

                        

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