Defining Your Innovation Model: 10 Facets of InnovationPhillips, Jeffrey
2009 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1260/175722209787951279
In any business process a firm begins with a concept or model of how it hopes to accomplish its goals to provide value to customers and participate in market successfully. This model forms the basis of how the business is structured and organized, how it operates in the marketplaceand its scope and limitations. In this article, we present the proposition that innovation, typically an unstructured initiative or task, requires its own model, and has a number of defined attributes. A successful innovation capability is based on defining these attributes and aligning themto the strategic goals of the organization and the intent or purpose of the innovation effort.
Building New Knowledge and the Role of Synthesis in InnovationBurnett, Bill
2009 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1260/175722209787951251
We innovate to create competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is found in new knowledge, which solves the buyer's problem. Humans create new knowledge in three ways: through Discovery - stumbling upon something that solves a problem; through Experimentation - tryingdifferent approaches to a problem until the solution is found; and through Synthesis - combining existing knowledge to create new knowledge. Today, Synthesis is the most common way we solve problems. Everyone synthesizes, but some people are extraordinarily good at it. They see the bigpicture, and how all the pieces fit together. Their brains have the ability to reach great mental distances to find remote metaphors which presents knowledge that turns into great solutions. Mixing your experts with people who are novice super-synthesizers can create best in class solutionsand give a company a sustainable competitive advantage.
Democratizing Innovation: The Evolving Phenomenon of User Innovationvon Hippel, Eric
2009 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1260/175722209787951224
Almost 30 years ago, researchers began a systematic study of innovation by end users and user firms. At that time, the phenomenon was generally regarded as a minor oddity. Today, it is clear that user-centered innovation is a very powerful and general phenomenon. It is rapidly growingdue to continuing advances in computing and communication technologies. It is becoming both an important rival to and an important feedstock for manufacturer-centered innovation in many fields. In this article, I provide an overview of what the international research community now understandsabout user-centered innovation.
The Innovation InfrastructureMorris, Langdon
2009 International Journal of Innovation Science
doi: 10.1260/175722209787951215
In a world of progressively more difficult business conditions, the capacity to innovate remains one of the most important attributes of all organizations. It's not, however, particularly easy to do. The quest for innovation is supported through a focus on learning, and particularlywhen learning is applied to increasing the productivity of knowledge tasks. To support this process, there are elements of infrastructure that are particularly important to develop, which include adoption of effective innovation methodology, as well as robust collaboration, attention to eliminatingobstacles and enhancing the enablers of innovation, and providing effective work environments.