Innovation is Not in My Job Description
By Cris Beswick
I
n a recent article I outlined what I think is a more contemporary, commercial definition of innovation. So to help you understand why innovation is absolutely part of your job, let me explain.
The word ‘innovation’ has now become the marketing/ branding person’s buzzword du-jour adorning straplines and corporate slogans the world over. However, it’s easy to use a word where the common dictionary definition is so vague.
Innovate: \ In”no”vate \ , v. To begin or introduce something for the first time.
If that’s really innovation then I’m wrong and all those corporate straplines and slogans are accurately depicting every company they represent. However, you and I know that’s not the case. If you begin to do
something new in your company that your competitors have been doing for years, is that an innovation? If youinvent something that delivers no real value to your customers or your business, is that being innovative? I would answer no in both cases and suggest that a better business definition of innovation is this:
Innovate: \ In”no”vate \ , v. The successful exploitation of an idea that adds value to the customer and commercial return for the creator.
Anything that can be described as an innovation needs to add value as well as being different. It could change the way a business works so that it becomes more efficient (and therefore more profitable), it could change the way people are managed and motivated (and therefore retain and attract staff, reducing recruitment costs), or it could be a new product or service that
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