Innovation Theory (original) (raw)

Developing and Managing Innovation in a Fast Changing and Complex World

Innovation Theory 2.1 Is Innovation a Buzz Word? "Innovation" has almost become a buzzword and there is no one single definition of its meaning. In general, it is a positively loaded term that brings hope in difficult times for the actors in the private sector, the public sector, the idealistic (non-profit) sector as well as in whole economies. However, how to create successful innovations is seldom explained. Even more unclear is how to develop "sustainable innovations" although we might have an intuitive feeling of that expression as developing something good for the society and its inhabitants. Researchers and scientists seem to concentrate their studies on innovation systems and innovation clusters on a macroscopic level. Their recommendations on how to develop innovations and how to use of different techniques and tools are often vague for practitioners, as, for example "creativity is a driver of innovation and a key factor for the development of personal, occupational, entrepreneurial, and social competences and the well-being of all individuals in society." (http:// create2009.europa.eu/index_en.html), or "[agility is the capability to react, and adapt to expected and unexpected changes within a dynamic environment constantly and quickly; and to use those changes (if possible) as an advantage" (Böhmer et al. 2015). That it often takes many years to judge if an innovation project will be economically successful is another matter altogether and rarely discussed. When methods and tools are not focused, there is, in general, a political focus on research and development (R&D) but not on the marketing and sales of the products. The result is what is sometimes wrongly referred to as a paradox because all the investments made in R&D result in remarkably few innovations. The aim of this chapter is to clarify the terms and conditions for the successful development of innovations, independent of whether they are carried out in the private sector, the public sector, or the nonprofit sector.