Innovatia

a useful tool when applied to an innovation operation, although usually this application is less formal than in “hard” science. Innovation is not invention – the process of coming up with a new idea – yet it often carries an invention to full fruition. As the enveloping carrier of scientific progress, furthering frontier advanc- es, innovation is hugely valuable to humanity. Innovation is a process. Whereas science and invention often depend on small teams or indi- viduals, innovation is usually more widespread within an organisation, making collaboration a prime concept within the innovation vocabulary. “Leadership, collaboration, strategy, a keen appetite for improvement – all of these things are key ingredients in the recipe for a true innovation culture.“ The creation of new systems, methods, strat- egies and group behaviours – all of it can be de- scribed as innovation. It can boost performance and efficiency in a diverse range of fields, from human resources, health services, customer assistance and government policy to financial strategy, urban planning, logistics, consumer product development and manufacturing. Innovation is about people, new systems, col- laboration, strategy, and steady evolution, and built permanently into an organisation’s DNA. A simple definition crafted more than 60 years ago by the founder of management analysis, Peter Drucker, retains its rigour:

“[Innovation is] the task of endowing human and material resources with new and greater wealth-producing capacity”. Some commentators are blunter: “if it doesn’t make money, it is not true innovation.” While this is true, there are exceptions, as the field of innovation study has evolved. It is now under- stood that innovative practices can be applied far beyond the confines of the corporation

and the balance sheet, hence social innovation, a younger cousin. A more recent definition by Michael Porter of Harvard goes like this: ”To me, innovation means offering things in dif- ferent ways, creating new combinations. Innovation doesn’t mean small, incremental im- provements – these are just part of being a dynam- ic organisation. Innovation is about finding new

ways of combining things generally.” Sam Palmisano, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM, gave us this: “The nature of innovation – by its inherent defi- nition – has changed. It’s no longer individuals toiling in a laboratory, coming up with some great invention. It’s not an individual. It’s individuals. It’s multidisciplinary. It’s global. It’s collaborative.” And Katsuaki Watanabe, CEO of Toyota, offered this rather energising comment: “Everyone should be dissatisfied with the pres- ent situation and should constantly try to improve or change things. It’s important to realise that there is always something more we need to aim at. ” There were dozens of other quotable observa- tions, each unique, but the crux was largely con- sistent: innovation requires top-down leadership with full collaboration, a keen appetite for im- provement, long-term strategy, willingness to try new things and the intent to imbed innovation practices in an enduring way. Innovation is remarkable, worthy, exciting: be- cause it can permeate virtually every sector, de- partment, endeavour – and it can touch the lives of every member of an organisation. That is why it is both diffuse and varied – but a primary key to competitiveness, and profit, thus an unavoidable priority for CEOs.

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INNOVATIA