Comments on: A Sunday stroll around innovation and customers and voices http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2008/11/23/a-sunday-stroll-around-innovation-and-customers-and-voices/ a blog about information Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:20:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: BDiC | Social Media - Build Community - Increase Business Profits http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2008/11/23/a-sunday-stroll-around-innovation-and-customers-and-voices/comment-page-1/#comment-448087 BDiC | Social Media - Build Community - Increase Business Profits Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:02:01 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/?p=1441#comment-448087 [...] the arrow to hear a welcome messageTake a few minutes, close the door, and read this post: A Sunday stroll around innovation and customers and voices A day earlier, catching up on my tweets, I came across this one from Michael Krigsman, quoting the [...] [...] the arrow to hear a welcome messageTake a few minutes, close the door, and read this post: A Sunday stroll around innovation and customers and voices A day earlier, catching up on my tweets, I came across this one from Michael Krigsman, quoting the [...]

]]> By: James http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2008/11/23/a-sunday-stroll-around-innovation-and-customers-and-voices/comment-page-1/#comment-443982 James Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:31:28 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/?p=1441#comment-443982 A friend sent this to me this morning before I headed to work and I've been irked all day from it. Innovation can't be summed up as a business model; yes, recent "innovation" can, but it is not actually innovation. Innovation is the process of improving or creating a new way to do something better than before. Ford innovated the auto industry with the assembly line but it didn't change the business model it just allowed scalability in it; the constraint here is the speed of production. Edison modified the light bulb so that it could burn longer and more efficiently, not a business model, but again something that produced wider adoption; life-span of the bulb was the constraint. Now we can constrain products to the customers wishes. Innovation is the natural simplification that occurs from constraining the problems. A friend sent this to me this morning before I headed to work and I’ve been irked all day from it. Innovation can’t be summed up as a business model; yes, recent “innovation” can, but it is not actually innovation. Innovation is the process of improving or creating a new way to do something better than before. Ford innovated the auto industry with the assembly line but it didn’t change the business model it just allowed scalability in it; the constraint here is the speed of production. Edison modified the light bulb so that it could burn longer and more efficiently, not a business model, but again something that produced wider adoption; life-span of the bulb was the constraint. Now we can constrain products to the customers wishes. Innovation is the natural simplification that occurs from constraining the problems.

]]> By: Christian DE NEEF http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2008/11/23/a-sunday-stroll-around-innovation-and-customers-and-voices/comment-page-1/#comment-443939 Christian DE NEEF Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:53:05 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/?p=1441#comment-443939 This is a great endorsement of customer-centricity, but one should not confuse "the voice of the customer" with Innovation, though. There is a danger for companies to move from being customer-deaf (or blind) into the other extreme, only delivering what the customer asks for... Many of today's products, including some that we use every day, were rather surprising to potential customers when they were 1st introduced! Besides, what customers adopt is not necessarily what customers want... Furthermore, I would argue (and thus disagree I'm afraid) that Innovation and Invention are not at the same level. Rather, they are at different levels of a continuum. Invention is exceptional! In our practice, we have named and defined these levels as follows: 1. 'Actling' - A simple, easily found and almost standard solution... 2. 'Knowling' - A solution found within the sector or industry 3. 'Borderling' - A solution found in another sector or industry 4. 'Researchling' - A solution found in another discipline of science 5. Invention - An 'invention' is a new, so far inexistent concept/ creation It appears that it is the Innovation at level 3 and above that constitutes potential competitive advantage. That is the reason why traditional best practice approaches do not lead to lasting competitive advantage. Please note that True Invention represents only a fraction of a % of all Innovation... The Innovation Process certainly benefits from a conversation. As Randal Moss (American Cancer Society, Futuring & Innovation Center) rightly says, "developing a culture of [conversation] is central to having a culture of innovation and idea sharing" -- Conversations and storytelling are closely linked to KM. All are required for Innovation. And yes, that probably makes the Innovation... customer-centric! This is a great endorsement of customer-centricity, but one should not confuse “the voice of the customer” with Innovation, though. There is a danger for companies to move from being customer-deaf (or blind) into the other extreme, only delivering what the customer asks for… Many of today’s products, including some that we use every day, were rather surprising to potential customers when they were 1st introduced!

Besides, what customers adopt is not necessarily what customers want…

Furthermore, I would argue (and thus disagree I’m afraid) that Innovation and Invention are not at the same level. Rather, they are at different levels of a continuum. Invention is exceptional! In our practice, we have named and defined these levels as follows:
1. ‘Actling’ – A simple, easily found and almost standard solution…
2. ‘Knowling’ – A solution found within the sector or industry
3. ‘Borderling’ – A solution found in another sector or industry
4. ‘Researchling’ – A solution found in another discipline of science
5. Invention – An ‘invention’ is a new, so far inexistent concept/
creation

It appears that it is the Innovation at level 3 and above that constitutes potential competitive advantage. That is the reason why traditional best practice approaches do not lead to lasting competitive advantage. Please note that True Invention represents only a fraction of a % of all Innovation…

The Innovation Process certainly benefits from a conversation. As Randal Moss (American Cancer Society, Futuring & Innovation Center) rightly says, “developing a culture of [conversation] is central to having a culture of innovation and idea sharing” — Conversations and storytelling are closely linked to KM. All are required for Innovation. And yes, that probably makes the Innovation… customer-centric!

]]> By: JP http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2008/11/23/a-sunday-stroll-around-innovation-and-customers-and-voices/comment-page-1/#comment-443649 JP Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:53:16 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/?p=1441#comment-443649 Thanks Jonathan, thanks Anant. I will acquire a copy of the book shortly. Thanks Jonathan, thanks Anant. I will acquire a copy of the book shortly.

]]> By: Anant http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2008/11/23/a-sunday-stroll-around-innovation-and-customers-and-voices/comment-page-1/#comment-443640 Anant Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:17:58 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/?p=1441#comment-443640 I can well believe that you aren't doing serious reading on the subject but that somehow everthing in your reading material and in conversations end up connected to the customer in innovation. There's a terrific book by Sheldon B Kopp called "The Pickpocket and the Saint". The title is based on the premise that, when a pickpocket sees a saint, all he sees are pockets. I can well believe that you aren’t doing serious reading on the subject but that somehow everthing in your reading material and in conversations end up connected to the customer in innovation.
There’s a terrific book by Sheldon B Kopp called “The Pickpocket and the Saint”. The title is based on the premise that, when a pickpocket sees a saint, all he sees are pockets.

]]> By: Jonathan Marks http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2008/11/23/a-sunday-stroll-around-innovation-and-customers-and-voices/comment-page-1/#comment-443594 Jonathan Marks Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:40:36 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/?p=1441#comment-443594 Fascinating paths you took this Sunday. Everywhere I move in the broadcast world there is this confusion between innovation and invention. It reminds me of the old Philips slogan- Philips Invents for You, to which some of us retorted - "but you didn't ask me if I needed it". I find large companies become "evil" when they lose their ability to collaborate. I believe Doc Searl's work with Vendor Relationship Management is so important as we enter the "intention" economy. Fascinating paths you took this Sunday. Everywhere I move in the broadcast world there is this confusion between innovation and invention. It reminds me of the old Philips slogan- Philips Invents for You, to which some of us retorted – “but you didn’t ask me if I needed it”. I find large companies become “evil” when they lose their ability to collaborate. I believe Doc Searl’s work with Vendor Relationship Management is so important as we enter the “intention” economy.

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