1.5 Creativity

And by looking at creativity as the proverbial grease in the wheels of our Innovation Value Chain, we can define it as follows:

“Creativity: A process of assembling ideas by recombining elements already known but wrongly assumed to be unrelated to each other”.

This definition has several key elements that are worth considering:

• Process: Creativity is also a process (implying, among other things, that it is more

like a skill than an attitude, and that you can get better at it with practice)

• Ideas: Creativity results in ideas that have potential value

• Recombining: The creative process is one of putting things together in unexpected ways

It is worth mentioning that being creative is not the same as being different.

1.6 Invention

Invention is the creation of new products or processes through the development of new knowledge or from new combinations of existing knowledge.

Innovation differs from invention in that innovation refers to the use of a better and, as a result, novel idea or method, whereas invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method itself.

Innovation differs from improvement in that innovation refers to the notion of doing something different rather than doing the same thing better.

Chapter2. The Categories of Innovation

Albert Einstein once said, “If I had 20 days to solve a problem, I would spend 19 days to define it.” Good advice.

Innovation is a particularly sticky problem because it so often remains undefined. We treat it as a monolith, as if every innovation is the same and one approach fits all. That’s why efforts tend to be fraught with buzzwords and rarely lead anywhere.

With all the confusion, how should we go about innovation? Should it be handed over to guys with white coats in labs, an external partner, a specialist in the field, crowd source or what? Defining the innovation problem is often overlooked, but it’s absolutely essential if we are to choose the right path. Here’s a framework that will help.

Innovation is a diverse activity. In laboratories and factory floors, universities and coffee shops, or even over a beer after work, people are sussing out better ways to do things. There is no monopoly on creative thought.

However, we do need to be careful, because there is a big difference between a random brainstorm and a concerted effort. Innovation as an organized practice falls into many categories. We will speak about some of them.

2.1 Incremental Innovation

Incremental innovation refers to simple changes or adjustments in existing products, services, or processes.

Incremental innovation (sometimes referred to as sustaining innovation) uses existing forms or technologies as a starting point. It either makes incremental improvements to something or some process or it reconfigures it so that it may serve some other purpose.

Gary Hamel a leading author and researcher on innovation suggested that innovation ranges from incremental through to radical. In his book Leading the Revolution: How to Thrive in Turbulent Times by Making Innovation a Way of Life he provides a good example:

Gillette Multi-Blade Razors

"Gillette used to make razors with a single blade. Later, one of its diligent students of stubble asked, Wouldn’t two blades be better than one? Thus was born the Trac II. Next came – guess what? – a razor with three blades – the Mach III. I love Gillette razors – use one every morning."

Apple iPod

The original iPod came in just white, and enabled you to store and play your mp3 music collection only. Incremental improvements have occurred over time so that today you can buy them in many different colours; store your family photographs and even your video collection.

Global Positioning Satellite

These are now common place in motor vehicles to assist drivers in getting from A to B. GPS systems in cars are an example of an incremental innovation in which something that already exists has just been reconfigured to another use.

Motor vehicles

The cars of twenty or thirty years back and beyond could be thought of as quite basic when compared to the cars of today. Incremental improvements have occurred over time so that its common to expect a modern day car to include electric windows, ABS breaks, air bags, cup holders and the list goes on.

Making incremental improvements is important for extending the marketable life of a product or service.