What do we mean by "innovation"?
Innovation is interpreted differently in different situations hence some difficulties in communication between different groups such as academia and industry which could impede progress.
Some forward-thinking members of the LinkedIn Group Innovation Management (approx 40,000 members around the world) recently suggested general definitions and voted on them. There are 33 definitions in the list below.
Interestingly some said we shouldn’t have a general definition, that it’s specific to the situation. One member also said “Everyone loves innovation but no one wants to change”.
For those of you who are interested in a general definition the 2 favourites are below followed by the definitions proposed.
Top definitions
30. The result of a creative process that creates value for society
11. The process of bringing new, problem-solving ideas into use
Definitions proposed.
1. Anything that improves anything
2. Ideas applied successfully
3. New ideas, successfully applied
4. Doing things in a new way, or creating new things, that have a significant impact.
5. The creative development of solutions to real and important problems of customers, which are profitably brought to market
6. The beneficial utilization of knowledge and creativity, in order to discover and realize what does not yet exist.
7. The creation of value from ideas (which are new to you)
8. A successfully implemented and widely accepted invention, which can be material and non-material, an object, process, phenomenon and/or their combination.
9. Creative thinking that adds value, or in two words, meaningfully unique
10. Creation of a viable new offering
11. The process of bringing new, problem-solving ideas into use.
12. Creating new value or capturing value in new ways
13. The actual use of a nontrivial change and improvement in a process, product or system that is novel to the institution developing the change
14. Profitable change
15. The act of introducing something new in something or in somewhere.
16. An idea that meets its market
17. Activity that brings a new repeatable (scalable) concept to customers.”
18. Research is the transformation of money into knowledge. Innovation is the transfer of knowledge back into money
19. The process of creating a product or service solution that delivers significant new customer value
20. The process of idea realisation
21. The result of: connect ideas from different sectors + current insights + solve a pain point
22. New business with new money
23. Successful commercialisation of an idea which adds value to any stakeholder
24. A change in culture.
25. Creating progress that brings important improvement in our quality of life.
26. The process of taking an idea from a state of Conception to a state of Commercialization (value creation
27. Successful adoption* of value-added change** (novelty) in economic, social and environmental spheres
28. The successful usage of new ideas or ways to fulfill certain needs.
29. Something new or different that provides greater value or benefit.
30. The result of a creative process that creates value for society
31. The use of new ideas, or existing ideas in a new context, to result in change which delivers value
32. Commercializing novel ideas
33. Created value for social change
Lynn Wood
Chief Idea Spy
