Against ambiguity

When it comes to managing innovation in large enterprises there is much to be gained by reducing ambiguity. For example, collaboration between innovation teams and other functions can be greatly improved by having a clear, shared definition of what innovation is, and what are the expected outputs from the innovation process.

Ambiguity should not be mixed-up with uncertainty. After all, most innovation processes are about systematically reducing the later whilst creating value for all involved stakeholders. On the other hand, the former just muddies the water, makes working together slower and costlier, and often results in additional "failure" work.

In other words, ambiguity in business most certainly has a tangible cost. Luckily, you can prevent them with a little bit of forethought and work.