Comments on: No innovation please, we’re too busy. http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/ Thu, 17 May 2012 15:25:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Paul Sloane http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/#comment-314 Paul Sloane Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:08:39 +0000 http://www.sitsite.com/blog/?p=117#comment-314 Innovation is a process not an event. It has to be ongoing. Innovation is a process not an event. It has to be ongoing.

]]> By: Amnon Levav http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/#comment-268 Amnon Levav Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:04:31 +0000 http://www.sitsite.com/blog/?p=117#comment-268 Agree with you, Amir. I think the "innovation fetish" of these times makes us forget sometimes that there is nothing inherently good about innovating. there is something good, though, and even crucial, about the ability to innovate, meaning the fact that you should not be doomed to keep doing the same just because no reasonable alternative has occured to you. Agree with you, Amir. I think the “innovation fetish” of these times makes us forget sometimes that there is nothing inherently good about innovating. there is something good, though, and even crucial, about the ability to innovate, meaning the fact that you should not be doomed to keep doing the same just because no reasonable alternative has occured to you.

]]> By: Amir http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/#comment-264 Amir Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:21:14 +0000 http://www.sitsite.com/blog/?p=117#comment-264 I truly enjoy this blog! I wold like to point two things to contemplate to help move forward: A. Innovation is neither the goal nor center of gravity, but the means to achieve a goal. It should be positioned accordingly: Innovation for xyz... I use "product innovation", "process innovation" and "business innovation" to reflect this relationship. Even more application-specific terms are: systematic innovation for product improvement... for new product design... for business process improvement etc. (systematic as a qualifier). B.Innovation as ability to think and act differently relates to a human capacity that drives organization capability. Lets consider innovation (verb) as a process: it starts with grerat ideas or inventions and results in innovation (noun). The fuzzy front end of this pipeline is attributed to capacities such as creativty or inventiveness, but many would attribute the "conversion process" of turning this ideas into results as "implementation that requires "execution skills". Therefore innovation method should be portrayed as "instrumental", A tool to think and do things better. This would be perceived of higher need than than a mere "capacity" in these times. I truly enjoy this blog!
I wold like to point two things to contemplate to help move forward:
A. Innovation is neither the goal nor center of gravity, but the means to achieve a goal. It should be positioned accordingly: Innovation for xyz…
I use “product innovation”, “process innovation” and “business innovation” to reflect this relationship. Even more application-specific terms are: systematic innovation for product improvement… for new product design… for business process improvement etc. (systematic as a qualifier).
B.Innovation as ability to think and act differently relates to a human capacity that drives organization capability. Lets consider innovation (verb) as a process: it starts with grerat ideas or inventions and results in innovation (noun). The fuzzy front end of this pipeline is attributed to capacities such as creativty or inventiveness, but many would attribute the “conversion process” of turning this ideas into results as “implementation that requires “execution skills”. Therefore innovation method should be portrayed as “instrumental”, A tool to think and do things better. This would be perceived of higher need than than a mere “capacity” in these times.

]]> By: Amnon Levav http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/#comment-263 Amnon Levav Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:09:21 +0000 http://www.sitsite.com/blog/?p=117#comment-263 i agree both with Tamar and with Dr. Bubb - terminology can be crucial, and can be used as an excuse to refrain from innovating. There is, indeed, a seeming contradiction: if you define innovation too narrowly (as is often the case) you avoid innovating on the grounds that you are too busy with all the rest, but if you define it too widely (a risk of my definition) you can avoid any serious innovation pointing to small changes as evidence that you are innovating. This raises for me several thoughts: 1) interesting how valuable it is for people to avoid innovating. 2) Fascinating to contemplate this combination - on one hand innovation is so frightening you'll do almost anything to not innovate, and on the other hand it is so obviously something you "should" be in favor of, that people will be extremely innovative in their efforts to show that they are doing it although they are not. 3) the importance of words and names. so yes, its important to make the tools easy and accessible, but as in many areas positioning and communication matter just as much, so we need to see what people are telling themselves while they are using the tools and assessing the resutls of applying them. i agree both with Tamar and with Dr. Bubb - terminology can be crucial, and can be used as an excuse to refrain from innovating. There is, indeed, a seeming contradiction: if you define innovation too narrowly (as is often the case) you avoid innovating on the grounds that you are too busy with all the rest, but if you define it too widely (a risk of my definition) you can avoid any serious innovation pointing to small changes as evidence that you are innovating. This raises for me several thoughts: 1) interesting how valuable it is for people to avoid innovating. 2) Fascinating to contemplate this combination - on one hand innovation is so frightening you’ll do almost anything to not innovate, and on the other hand it is so obviously something you “should” be in favor of, that people will be extremely innovative in their efforts to show that they are doing it although they are not. 3) the importance of words and names. so yes, its important to make the tools easy and accessible, but as in many areas positioning and communication matter just as much, so we need to see what people are telling themselves while they are using the tools and assessing the resutls of applying them.

]]> By: Tamar http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/#comment-258 Tamar Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:09:48 +0000 http://www.sitsite.com/blog/?p=117#comment-258 Well, maybe the issue is that the term innovation is too well known for something very specific (somewhere between brain storming to bunch of good ideas). Maybe we have to rethink our own terminology? Otherwise, we either have to educate everybody what we mean when we use this term - innovation, or we could try to term differently this much broader approach/ability to more accurately express Amnon's practical definition. Well, maybe the issue is that the term innovation is too well known for something very specific (somewhere between brain storming to bunch of good ideas). Maybe we have to rethink our own terminology? Otherwise, we either have to educate everybody what we mean when we use this term - innovation, or we could try to term differently this much broader approach/ability to more accurately express Amnon’s practical definition.

]]> By: Dr. Bubb http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/#comment-249 Dr. Bubb Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:42:28 +0000 http://www.sitsite.com/blog/?p=117#comment-249 Great Website (SITsite), and I love the Blog. The problem that many companies face is limited time, and limited resources. If they accept your definition of Innovation, then they may continue to "innovate" while dropping the serach for new product ideas. This is dangerous. Companies often GROW OUT OF RECESSION on the back of new products. If they stop the launches, they may lose their growth impetus. The challenge is: how to keep the new product impetus alive while struggling to keep the business alive in tough times. Make the tools of Innovation easier to use, and encourage to use them on their "own time", while making a commitment to reward effective innovation. Those are my solutions. Great Website (SITsite), and I love the Blog.

The problem that many companies face is limited time, and limited resources.

If they accept your definition of Innovation, then they may continue to “innovate” while dropping the serach for new product ideas.

This is dangerous. Companies often GROW OUT OF RECESSION on the back of new products. If they stop the launches, they may lose their growth impetus.

The challenge is: how to keep the new product impetus alive while struggling to keep the business alive in tough times.

Make the tools of Innovation easier to use, and encourage to use them on their “own time”, while making a commitment to reward effective innovation. Those are my solutions.

]]> By: Fabian Szulanski http://www.sitsite.com/blog/2008/12/no-innovation-please-were-too-busy/#comment-248 Fabian Szulanski Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:19:48 +0000 http://www.sitsite.com/blog/?p=117#comment-248 Thanks Amnon for giving this "reality check" to us. I heartfully agree with you. Innovation should be applied in all stages of the aforementioned pipeline, including feeding back to the original situation. Ideally, we should think, feel, say (communicate) and do (implement) everything in an aligned (and hopefully innovative) fashion, so there is a lot of innovation to apply to those 4 activities. Our mission would be to increase awareness of this need to our valuenets, and help them achieve their related objectives. Cheers, Fabian Thanks Amnon for giving this “reality check” to us.
I heartfully agree with you. Innovation should be applied in all stages of the aforementioned pipeline, including feeding back to the original situation.
Ideally, we should think, feel, say (communicate) and do (implement) everything in an aligned (and hopefully innovative) fashion, so there is a lot of innovation to apply to those 4 activities. Our mission would be to increase awareness of this need to our valuenets, and help them achieve their related objectives.
Cheers,
Fabian

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