Inquiry & Response: A Humorous Reevaluation of the Innovation Process
“Q&A: Rethinking how innovation happens”
“Why do the world’s best ideas for tech inno, often end up languishing on the proverbial shelf? This problem is what Eugene Fitzgerald and Andreas Wankerl, two men with tech-focused brains and a penchant for underlined words, have sought to address.”
Remember when being nerdy wasn’t…cool? When poring tirelessly over intricate systems, dreaming up revolutionary technological advancements wasn’t the sort of thing one proudly posted about on Instagram? Well, Eugene Fitzgerald and Andreas Wankerl, MIT veterans and catalysts for change, wave a dismissive hand at such a notion as they cunningly dismantle the oft-encountered misapprehension that innovation is a spontaneous bout of genius.
Turns out, holed up in some dimly-lit dorm room having a lightbulb moment isn’t exactly the profound revelation Hollywood’s had us believing. Instead, they argue, the complex interplay of business strategies, industry competition, and customer needs is what often gives birth to disruptive innovation.
“Everybody talks about this ‘valley of death’. But it’s not a valley; it’s more like a mountain,” Wankerl audaciously declares. Rather than being a straight downhill journey from idea to market, innovation has bumps and curves, tricky detours, and sneaky pitfalls. It’s less of a yellow brick road and more of a vigorous hike up Mount Everest.
How then, to navigate this treacherous journey and hurl groundbreaking product concepts like boulders off the metaphorical cliff down to the waiting global market. Fitzgerald and Wankerl call it “systematic innovation.” It’s not about being so brain-bogglingly smart; it’s about weaving innovation into the fabric of the business process, checking off the right milestones, and turning unexpected roadblocks into convenient detours.
These guys rightly suggest that to foster an innovative environment, it’s crucial to hone the ability to ask the right questions. The “why” is just as important as the “what” or “how”. Perhaps, the missing piece isn’t a groundbreaking idea but the lack of asking why no one has thought about it before. Understanding what customers need, how competitors operate, and where the industry is headed, are just as vital.
Throwing us another curveball, Fitzgerald points out, “When people think of innovation, they think of products. But products are just a means for an innovative process.” It’s not the shiny new gadget that’s the great disruptive change; it’s the manner in which it’s created, managed, and delivered to the game.
Innovation can be a teachable, learnable process, despite what Hollywood and pop culture want you to believe. Because in the end, the road to landmark innovations isn’t paved with lightbulb moments, but rather, a systematic approach to problem-solving. And probably a pinch, or maybe a heap, of that old school nerdy gusto for good measure.