Innovation has become a major buzzword of our time, often with almost mystical properties ascribed. This essay is my attempt to demystify that buzz - in 500 words.
Tag: definition
Innovation & Science
Intuitively we know that science is somehow related to innovation. It is somewhere at the origin of innovation, isn’t it? Science underpins innovation, doesn’t it? But this relation is not as simple as we might like; there’s no self-evident direct connection. It's a dilemma that I’ll try to shed some light on today.
The innovation protagonists
If the innovation landscape is setting the stage for innovation to occur, you may well ask for the main cast: who are the innovation protagonists? I've indicated some ideas on the roles that institutions, organisations, and entrepreneurs play. Focusing on the difference between those roles, today I’ll paint them in black-and-white.
“Technological innovation” is redundant …
When talking about innovation you've surely seen fierce discussion over how much the engineers contributed, how much the sales people, how much the administrators, and so on. Today I'll argue that every innovation is technological, and that there are no other 'kinds of' innovation.
The essence of technology
If you ask people's ideas about technology, you'll get a mixed bag of answers. Ranging from outright fascination, through perfect indifference, to utter scepticism. What you won't get, though, is a clear expression of what technology is at its core.
understanding innovation 