Innovation: Not Just About Technology
| Kelsey Ruger | Jan 7, 2010 | 4 Responses | Technology |
Innovation. It’s a word that we hear all the time, but what does it mean? Every year about this time I am reminded of this question because I am frequently asked what technologies I think will have the biggest impact on innovation in the coming year. I personally find that question a little odd because I have always felt that when it comes to innovation, technology is an artifact. Why? Because what really defines innovation isn’t the technology you get but the process you use to create that technology.
As a human activity, technology predates both science and engineering. It is the embodiment of our ability as humans to produce practical, reproducible results by designing tools, machines and procedures to simplify the problem solving process. Today with pace at which things change, it’s not unusual to hear about interesting new technologies or technology companies every day. Somewhere in the mix we place so much emphasis on technology that we lose sight of the reasons why humans create new technologies in the first place. What’s worse is we create myths around those technologies where this are none. This is illustrated well by this quote from Weaving The Web by Tim Berners-Lee.
Journalists have always asked me what the crucial idea was or what the singular event was that allowed the Web to exist one day when it hadn’t before. They are frustrated when I tell them that there was no eureka moment. It was not like the legendary apple falling on Newton’s head to demonstrate the concept of gravity… it was the process of accretion (growth by gradual addition) – Tim Berners-Lee
History doesn’t really give a lot of attention to the things that are lost, because we spend a lot of time telling the success stories instead of the stories of partial failure that are critical to the understanding the process of innovation. This is why “innovation” is so often an emulation of past success or a trip down a path that “makes the most sense”.
All this got me thinking that if innovation is not really about the technology, what things will be important? What do you think?
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Apple didn't invent the touch screen phone or the MP3 player . The technology existed. All Apple did was understand that everything they build is about empathy, connection, engagement, and interaction, and that those concepts work both in consumer and business worlds.
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What I find to be most valuable is the recent rise in story telling “technology.” It’s especially valuable if people don’t just say “look what we achieved” but instead tell the story: “first we tried this and it didn’t work and that didn’t work but the next one almost worked, then we got somebody to help us figure out this part…” Maybe if we tell enough stories people will finally understand innovation.
Great insights. It has seemed to me that as the concept of innovation becomes attached to just about every new product, conference, and fad that we risk losing a common understanding of even what we mean by the word. Too often what is commercially designated as innovation is really just a marketing tactic.
In the end, it is the practical application of new technology/ideas/whatever that produce fundamental shifts in the way humans behave. Technology spurs new invention. Practical use of new technology/invention defines what is seen as innovation.
But wait… How is the technology derived in the first place? Who initiates its creation and by what methods?
It is by the creativity, imagination, intelligence, and day-dreaming of those on the front end that make it all possible. Someone or some team who saw a need and said, “Hey, I see X and will think of a solution to make X easier, better, stronger, faster. Now let’s make it happen.”
That’s why it’s important to explore and brainstorm. Those things create inspiration and bring forth action. Somewhere in the middle of all that lies the seeds of innovation.
Innovation isn’t about technology. Its more about the process of creating solutions. It’s the thinking, pooling resources, problem-solving, and everything else along the way within the process which is important. Anything else is putting the cart before the horse.
The venn diagram has it right. (I don’t see the word “technology” in there…)
Good article.