Innovation Does Not Need To Be Disruptive

I wrote a post last week that attracted quite a bit of attention on Linked In. It related to the quote by Henry Ford that if he had asked people what they wanted they would have said a faster horse.

We all know that Ford didn’t deliver a faster horse. What he delivered was disruptive and innovative in many business fronts. But to be innovative, do you need to be disruptive? Does your innovation need to be significant to make a difference? Or can small changes make a difference?

Innovation is about ideas. These ideas can be large or small. They can come from anyone in your business, your clients or the wider market. But most importantly they need to be nurtured because ideas alone have no value – they must invoke action; practical implementation.

Innovation should become a way of doing business. It is not up to one individual or group within a business, it is everyone’s responsibility.

I find one of the easiest ways to get businesses thinking about innovation is to get them asking “what if…” rather than just being concerned with “what is…”

By continually asking “how can I improve the customer experience?”;“What can I do to improve a process”; “What can I do to increase sales” you will start to develop ideas that can springboard to new scenarios.

So innovation is not just about the big leaps forward; the paradigm shifts. You don’t need to be Henry Ford or Steve jobs to be innovative.

Innovation starts with taking the customers point of view, asking “what if…”, not accepting the status quo and keeping it simple. Research shows that innovation is a powerful driver in achieving better business results. That it is linked to increased market share, high rates of growth and greater profits.

You may not invent the next iPad, but you will stand out from the competition and have a positive impact on your business.