INNOVATION
“Creativity is thinking up new things.
Innovation is doing new things.”
—Theodore Levitt
What is innovation?
Innovation rarely appears out of nowhere. It emerges from deep analysis.
True innovation begins with understanding the forces shaping a problem: human behaviour, market dynamics, data, technological possibilities, and societal change. By examining these elements closely, we begin to see opportunities that others overlook.
Generating an innovative idea is only the first step. Many innovations fail to take hold because they are not translated into solutions that make practical sense. For an idea to succeed it must work across multiple dimensions. It must be economically viable, environmentally responsible, usable in every day life, and aligned with real demand.
This is where innovation usually breaks down. Organisations frequently focus on the novelty of an idea rather than the context in which people will actually use it. When this happens, solutions are designed around assumptions rather than real needs.
Understanding the “job” people are trying to accomplish is critical. When innovation stems from a true understanding of what people are actually trying to achieve or resolve, its more likely that people will adopt and meaningful value will be created.
The popular phrase “think outside the box” suggests that innovation comes from simply thinking differently. In reality innovation is less about escaping the confines of the box and perhaps understanding the system that created the box in the first place.
What blocks innovation?
Opinions are not truths, but truthfully they are one of the primary blockers of innovation. People often conflate expertise and opinions for truths. Which blocks them from truly understanding many situations and opportunities. While you might blame arrogance as the villain, this conflation actually stems from Cognitive Fixedness. We navigate the world with bias. We assume that walking down the pavement will be safe in such a way that we won’t suddenly be swallowed by a sinkhole or that the pavement won’t suddenly end without any type of known warning. We assume the sun again will rise. And as we navigate the world we develop bias that keeps us safe, helps us make quick decisions, and enables us to cognitively focus elsewhere. But this Cognitive Fixedness can seep into everything we do and how we think things ought to work. How would you react if someone handed you a square a four-sided take-away coffee cup?