Week 1: Questions on Innovation

As new innovators the definition of innovation is key to understanding the field that we are attempting to enter. Even among leaders in the field the definition is in a state of flux, changing and evolving as this area of study expands. The question becomes what is real innovation? It seems that every company out there claims to be innovative. Everyone from consulting firms to education developers to government leaders all claim to have an innovative approach to their respective fields. It is so prevalent that the word “innovation” has become a requirement for good marketing, because after all who would hire a company that was not innovative? Entire websites are devoted to the exploration of innovation and helping the average internet user create their own innovations (ex http://www.innovationtools.com/). However, even a cursory examination reveals that many of the ideas are not necessarily that innovative. For example one project simply had users create their own picture of Jonny Cash and then they were all combined into one photo. Also Lego was praised for their innovative approach to development; is their approach innovative or merely good R&D practices? What does this dissolution of the integrity of innovation result in? Do true innovators get lost in the age of too much information and marketing? As new innovators how can we obtain our “innovator badge” if anyone with a web site can claim to be innovators? The more important question is does it matter? Should we care that people claim to innovative even if they are not? At the very least it is an interesting debate.