Innovation or Imitation? The True Essence of Disruption Unveiled
Face it — what we often parade around as ‘innovation’ is nothing more than old wine in new bottles — a slight tweak here, a minor adjustment there, all hailed as the next big thing.
But where’s the rebellion, the defiance of norms that true innovation is supposed to embody?
If we’re serious about sparking change, it’s high time we called out these impostors for what they are and demanded more than just superficial updates masquerading as breakthroughs. Real innovation should unsettle us, challenge our perceptions, and dare us to imagine a world turned upside down.
Venture capital circles and corporate boardrooms alike champion the term ‘innovation’ with fervent zeal. Yet, all too often, what passes for innovation is merely optimisation — tweaks to existing models that, while valuable, don’t truly break new ground or challenge the status quo.
The tech industry is rife with ‘innovations’ that are essentially refinements. Take smartphones, for instance. Post the original iPhone’s launch, subsequent iterations across the industry have largely focused on enhancing features — camera quality, battery life, display — rather than rethinking what a phone could be or do in our lives.
True innovation is about fundamentally reimagining how we approach problems and envision solutions. It disrupts, not just for the sake of disruption, but to pave the way for systemic change.
Thinkers like Clayton Christensen, define true innovation as something that disrupts existing markets or creates new ones. It’s so much more than just a measure of the markets, but about changing how we perceive and interact with the world around us.
Pioneers of Progress: Delving into the Minds of Innovation Leaders
In the quest to demystify true innovation, it’s helpful to pick the brains of those who have steered its discourse. Henry Chesbrough’s concept of open innovation and Jeffrey P. Baumgartner’s advocacy for applied creativity and Anti-Conventional Thinking (ACT) offer profound lessons on how we can navigate the innovation landscape more effectively.
Henry Chesbrough revolutionised how businesses approach innovation with his concept of open innovation. Open innovation suggests that companies, organisations, divisions, or departments can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to market, as they look to advance. This model challenges the traditional notion of innovation being a closely guarded, internal process.
Chesbrough’s ideas have been embraced by giants like Procter & Gamble with their “Connect + Develop” platform, where they collaborate with inventors and creators outside the company to fill their product development pipeline. This approach has led to successful products like the Swiffer, which was born from collaboration beyond corporate walls, showcasing how open innovation can lead to breakthroughs that might be unattainable in a closed ecosystem.
Jeffrey P. Baumgartner, on the other hand, offers a different, yet equally compelling perspective with his Anti-Conventional Thinking (ACT) framework. ACT suggests that instead of seeking “out-of-the-box” ideas, which often end up being mildly innovative at best, organisations should pursue truly unconventional ideas that challenge the very foundations of existing paradigms.
Baumgartner’s ACT framework has been particularly influential in creative problem-solving processes, pushing teams to explore solutions that initially might seem too radical or impractical. By doing so, ACT encourages a deeper level of creativity that can lead to genuinely novel innovations rather than incremental improvements.
Chesbrough’s and Baumgartner’s philosophies, though different in their approaches, both emphasise the importance of looking beyond traditional boundaries — whether those are the walls of an organisation or the confines of conventional thinking. For leaders and innovators aiming to navigate the complex world of true innovation, there are some important lessons to draw from their work:
- Cultivate an Ecosystem of Ideas by embracing Chesbrough’s open innovation and creating platforms for external collaboration. The next breakthrough idea could come from anywhere — a start-up, a university lab, or even a customer suggestion.
- Challenge the Norm and use ACT to question and go beyond the usual patterns of thinking within your team or organization. Encourage proposals that may initially seem too radical, exploring their potential without the constraints of conventional wisdom.
- Balance Openness with Direction to advocate for external inputs and radical ideas, having a clear strategic vision ensures that these ideas move the organization in a coherent, purposeful direction.
Innovation is not just about new ideas but about how we engage with these ideas. It’s about opening doors to the external world and daring to think in ways that defy the conventional
While the landscape is cluttered with examples of faux innovation, there are bright beacons of genuine change that redefine what’s possible.
I’ve mentioned SpaceX before, and equally my disconnection of Musk from it’s innovations. It can’t go unsaid however, regardless of your view of the guy, that SpaceX’s development and successful landing of reusable rockets challenged an entire industry’s status quo. And it is the genius minds within the SpaceX business that lead this innovation. The implications of this stretch beyond cost-saving; it’s a leap towards sustainable space exploration and a future where Mars seems within reach.
Equally, the rise of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin exemplify innovation that challenges existing financial systems and concepts of value, offering a decentralized approach to transactions and record-keeping. It may be a far ways off from a new currency — but innovation doesn’t have the change everything, just perspective of the world around you.
The Path to Authentic Innovation
How, then, do you cultivate an environment where true innovation can flourish, where creativity and disruption pave the path forward rather than mere optimisation?
- Embrace Radical Curiosity — Innovation begins with asking bold questions that challenge the given. What if we’re approaching this all wrong? What if there’s a completely different way?
- Foster Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration — Breakthroughs often occur at the intersection of disciplines. Bring together minds from diverse fields to spark new perspectives and solutions.
- Encourage Risk-Taking — True innovation involves stepping into the unknown. Cultivate an environment where taking calculated risks is not just accepted but encouraged.
- Focus on Impact — Measure success not just by market capture or revenue but by the impact on society, culture, and the environment. True innovation changes lives.
As we wade through the muddy waters of so-called innovations, it’s vital to keep our eyes on the horizon — on the potential for genuine change that challenges, disrupts, and transforms.
True innovation isn’t about what we add or enhance but about what we reimagine and redefine.
It requires not just creativity but courage — the courage to question, to dream, and, most importantly, to act.
