Science in Action - Book 1

Defining Innovation

“It’s not that we need new ideas, but we need to stop having old ideas.”

 Edwin H. Land

Therefore, innovation is defined as something new that sets the economy in motion while changing its structures and environment, and it is not just technical. However, the real question is how individual entrepreneurs, innovative groups and companies themselves define innovation in their respective contexts. Beyond the definitions of innovation provided by economists, academics and consultants, it must be given meaning and defined specifically for each company, and this definition must be shared with employees and partners. This shared definition allows the company to develop a strong innovation culture and understand the associated risks, enabling it to anticipate and manage them more effectively.

Innovation management differs from the management of 'incremental' projects. It involves the company or entrepreneur stepping outside their comfort zone. It's more about change management than project management as traditionally applied in large corporations. The responsibility for leading the innovation effort lies more with an entrepreneurial leader than with a project team. This sometimes forces companies to reinvent their organisation, paying particular attention to innovation leaders or culturally isolated individuals. It is understandable that individual businesses, particularly start-ups, are better suited to developing innovative approaches or solutions. From a process perspective, they require management using indicators not found in traditional project management, such as the involvement of top managers and ideation indicators.

Driving innovation to success is difficult because, beyond the technical aspects, success depends on promotion and acceptance. This distinguishes innovation from invention or discovery. Innovation requires a rationale and a clearly defined goal involving all stakeholders. It raises new questions to ensure adoption, redefining how these efforts are conducted with new methods and, sometimes, new leaders who may be external to the company. The most challenging aspect is predicting whether an invention will successfully transform into an innovation.

To further define and master innovation, we invite you to read on as we guide you through three specific aspects of the process.

“The Innovative Organisation“ and “The Moebius Organisation”: Who are the innovators? How can a company organise itself to become an 'innovation machine'? And how do institutions create new structures to promote innovation?”

“What Drives Innovation? “  If innovation requires a reason for existing, it is important to understand its fundamentals.

“Psychohistory of Innovation“ :Can the evolution of an invention into an innovation be predicted? By definition, innovation is something that doesn't yet exist and modifies its environment. Therefore, predicting its success is essential in order to manage the associated risk and estimate the efforts required to bring it to fruition.