THE INNOVATOR'S ATTITUDE

A monthly newsletter with the objective of helping leaders innovate profitably by providing them with best practices, models, and different perspectives.

On Thinking Bigger

Innovation will always have uncertain outcome. We can do everything right and still fail in the market. That is simply the reality of innovation work, at least until we develop crystal balls to accurately predict the future.

At the same time, the work of innovation is vital for the longevity of the organisation, for its competitiveness, and for value creation. That's why it is worth investing in it, despite the risks.

Now, as we know, there are multiple types and categories of innovation, ranging from familiar and incremental to alien and transformational. We distinguish them on the basis of their risk profile and scope. In fact, I point you to two previous letters I wrote on that topic:

• Vol. 4, Issue 10, October: On Types of Innovation and Ambition. By understanding the types of innovation we invest in, we can be more realistic in judging if we really are working towards our ambitions.
• Vol. 2, Issue 11, November: On Differentiating Innovation and Improvement. They are not opposite extremes on the same spectrum!

No matter how we categorise our innovation initiatives they are still linked by the aforementioned indisputable reality: the final outcome is uncertain.