WHAT IS INNOVATION?
Coming Soon Over the past decade, the study of applied innovation has become more diffuse, splintering into many disciplines, and it demands clarity. We live in a time where the word “innovative” has become a powerful cliché, used to describe everything from motor oils to muesli bars. But beneath this noise, there is an ever-greater recognition in business and technology environments of the crucial relationship between innovation and progress. We’ll be delving into this very subject as it applies to CEOs, managers, technologists, scientists, entrepreneurs and more across industries. We’ll carry on our work of 40 years with a revisit of Peter Drucker, who we interviewed in 2002, and feature work from globally recognised authors such as Clayton Christensen and Larry Keeley. We will also summon local Australian specialists to breathe new life into theories with case studies, and ultimately explore the future of innovation across our nation
T he term innovation has long had multi- ple definitions. Why? Because, in spite of (or perhaps because of) wide usage and continual interest, the term has lost pre- cise meaning for many. Nowadays, it is applied to nearly everything, casually enough, leading to some uncertainty around what innovation really means. Innovation’s import and thrust have gone adrift, at least for those who do not read about it regularly – a phenomenon that can happen when powerful words and concepts become popular and descend into cliché territory. So, the short definition: A considered change in method, technique or approach which car- ries demonstrable benefit. This is a simple doorway to a rich and very broad landscape, which is sometimes complex in its applica- tion. The key word is “considered” – meaning human forethought – to urge measurable im- provements and affect positive change. And the elaborate version: Start with what it is not. It is not science, except that testing of hypotheses, a scientific method, is sometimes
and beyond. Stay tuned.
INNOVATIA
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INNOVATIA
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