by: Yann Gourvennec
Innovation is “everything to all people”, as Brianna Sylver rightfully puts it in a recent (January 31, 2006) article in Business Week entitled “What does “Innovation” really mean? How to insure a success with your clients“.
Sylver describes the definition of innovation as merel “introducing something new” not really satisfactory. In her mind, and experience has shown us that this is really so, the innovation consultant will have to identify, first and foremost, what innovation means to the client with regard to the situation that the company is in.
Sylver has identified 3 potential scenarios:
- What she describes as the “burning platform” syndrome, whereby the client’s house is on fire, sales and profit dropping, and nobody knows why let alone what to do,
- Scenario 2 takes place when the firm has just gotten rid of the “burning platform” syndrome and they are seeking to establish a sustained innovation effort,
- Scenario 3 is when the firm is an established leader and innovation is aimed at staying ahead of the bunch, regardless of failures which may happen in the process.
Brianna Sylver (she is also the owner and founder of Sylver consulting) goes on with the desription of how to tackle each scenario.
Definitely worth the read.
Original Post: http://visionarymarketing.wordpress.com/2006/03/22/defining-innovation-is-a-must/
