innovation is a process, not a one time event;

Innovation 1

Innovation is a process, not a one time event

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Innovation 2

Innovation is a process, not a one-off event

In the modern era, the word innovation has become a very common term which is

applicable to a wide range of aspects of the society, especially in the business world. Every

business guru today iterates that being innovative is the key to success while many conferences

and debates have taken place to examine the true nature and aspects of innovation. In the current

context where the term is used widely for a broad set of ideas, it sometimes gets confusing to

understand what innovation really is and what it refers to. Innovation in the most basic sense can

be referred to as the process of identifying fresh and new solutions for solving vital problems.

Developing and generating new ideas and initiatives to meet the constantly varying market and

consumer needs, incoherent demands of industry, consumers, processes or markets are the key

aspects of innovation (Stephenson 2011).

It is also important that businesses realise the fact that innovation is not an end but a

means to an end which basically means that innovation is not a one-off event but rather an

ongoing process which needs to be developed, promoted and sustained for both the short and

long term success of the organisation. If innovation is deemed to be a one-off event, then in

veracity, no business will innovate and remain stagnant once it has implemented a specific

innovation. This need to identify and recognise innovation as a process and not a one-off event is

crucial for organisational success, especially in the era of globalisation which is laced with

technological advancements, ever changing consumer and market demands, expansion of

organisations to different continents and cut throat competition (Martini et al. 2012).



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Moreover, organisations need to be innovative not only to increase effectiveness and

efficiency but also to remain competitive while developing and sustaining competitive advantage

through continuous innovation rather than relying on specific innovative ideas and not going

further. Innovation, in the modern era is the primary ingredient for competitive advantage and

this is evident through various practical examples such as innovation in cell phones, automobiles

and various consumer goods which are now being produced and marketed innovatively. Any

organisation which fails to incorporate continuous innovation is bound for failure as it can

depend on a specific innovative product or service to a certain extant in the ever changing

business and economic climate (Trantow et al. 2013).

Innovation can be achieved by implementing efficient and effective processes,

techniques, products, technologies, services, ideas and methodologies to ensure that industry,

consumer, society and market demands are met in an orderly and timely fashion. Innovation can

also be referred to the process of developing something new or changing an older service,

product or process to meet with constantly changing nature of challenges. It can usually lead to a

breakthrough which is usually beneficial to the society, consumers, market or industry in one

way or another. Innovation can thus be defined as developing newer processes, methods,

techniques or products which are important and beneficial to any business or society and which

can establish a strong market footing (Santamaría, Nieto and Miles 2012).

Many people also confuse innovation with invention which is not the case as invention

refers to the development of a new idea, notion or process which has no prior existence while

innovation on the other hand is the implementation of a new idea or process (Varrall 2011).

Additionally, innovation should not be confused with improvement as well because improvement

involves enhancing older processes and doing things better while innovation refers to



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implementing newer processes for achieving more efficient and favourable results. The terms

innovation, invention and improvement need to be clearly distinguished otherwise, there will be

no innovation at all and people or organisations will simply be inventing or improving rather

than innovating (Oliver 2012). Innovation is the key to success for any organisation in the

modern era and this is why the nature of innovation needs to be analysed, explored and evaluated

which implies that it is important to understand what innovation is, where it comes from and how

it can be promoted and sustained.

Discussions and debates about innovation are usually made complex and confusing

mainly due to the misunderstanding, misinterpretation and confusion regarding people’s

perceptions of innovation, invention and creativity. People are often unable to differentiate

between these three notions and this is why the difference needs to be clearly understood.

Creativity is the ability of a person or an organisation to envisage and conjure up new and

original ideas while thinking out of the box. Invention on the other hand, as described earlier

refers to the formation of a new idea, notion, theory, process, product or method which does not

have any historical existence and which is identified as a result of unique and creative thinking.

Albeit innovation may be linked to invention or creativity as it is the next logical step but it is

actually the implementation of a new idea, product, service or method rather than coming up

with the idea. As invention is a method, product, process or service with no previous existence,

therefore, every invention is in fact an innovation but this does not necessarily mean that every

innovation is an invention (Mann, Watt and Matthews 2012).

A person or organisation can concoct or conjure numerous ideas and plans; which

portrays creativity on part of that person or organisation, but until and unless those ideas or plans



Innovation 5

are implemented, there will be no innovation whatsoever. Creative ideas and plans thus have to

be implemented to generate effective results in order to turn creativity into innovation. Any new

methods, techniques, processes or systems which are implemented in an organisation for the first

time are an innovation even though other organisations may have been utilising those methods or

procedures already (Baer 2012). Additionally, many people also misinterpret innovation as being

applicable to newer products which is not the case at all, as innovation may be related to new

methods, techniques, processes, models, strategies and frameworks.

Innovation can come from a variety of sources including changing structure of the

market, varying demographics in the domestic and international context, advancements in the

fields of scientific research and technology, alterations in structure of an industry, amendments

in perceptions, needs and demands of people and consumers (Brynteson 2010). The most

commonly identifiable and recognisable source of innovation is manufacturer innovation where

an organisation or an individual (manufacturer) practices innovation to sell the innovated

technique, procedure, product or service. This innovation deals with selling the innovated

product or service rather than self consumption or use. On the other hand, end user innovation is

another and recently recognised source of innovation where an organisation or an individual

innovates for self use and for enhancing current processes or methods. This innovation is based

on self use rather than selling as the innovation helps in enhancing processes, techniques,

methods or strategies as they may no longer be effective, relevant or applicable due to changing

situations. End user innovation is one of the most critical, important and beneficial sources of

innovation in context of the modern era which is overwhelmed with the level of technological

advancements and rapidly changing requirements and methods of doing business.



Innovation 6

According to Drucker (2012) there are seven sources of innovation or opportunity classes

which are the unexpected, incongruities, process needs, industry and market structure,

demographics, changes in perception and new knowledge. He explained that innovation can be

rooted in any one or all of these sources and innovations are results of these sources. Closer

examination of all these sources reveals that today, almost all of these factors lead to innovation

as there are incongruities in the form of conflicts in almost all business processes, the needs for

changing processes are changing very rapidly due to technological and scientific progress and

the industry and market structures are constantly changing due to increased expansions of

businesses and corporations around the world. Furthermore, as the world has now become a

global village, the social aspects, demographics and perceptions of consumers are also changing

very rapidly as they interact with individuals from other social and cultural backgrounds. One of

the most important and relevant sources in the current era with respect to innovation is the

availability of new knowledge as the human race is experiencing the highest level of knowledge

acquisition and availability today as compared to any point of time in history.

Innovation may come from a variety of sources but in essence it requires three primary

factors which include the identified need to innovate, capable individuals who are equipped with

the relevant tools and technology and finance to support the innovation. Innovation cannot and

will not take place if the need to innovate is not identified and if there is no need, there will be no

innovation as well. Once the need has been identified, the correct people who are able to bring

about the changes through innovation have to be selected and they have to be equipped with the

relevant and applicable tools and technology for the innovation to be effective and successful.

Finally, innovation will not be developed, let alone sustained if it is not backed by financial

support (Clausen et al. 2012).



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Organisations attempt to accomplish and be innovative through various methods and in

recent years a lot of emphasis has been laid on research and development for innovative and

inventive products and services. The research and development departments of many

organisations today are charged with bringing innovation not only to products but also to internal

procedures and processes as well. Scientific and technological research in any field motivates

and instigates innovation and leads to productivity, efficiency, growth and competitive

advantage. Alternatively, innovation is also developed and sustained through changes in work

practices and processes through experience and knowledge sharing among individuals in an

organisation or an industry. While these two sources and routes to innovation are

complementary, it is noteworthy that experience, knowledge and workplace practices lead to

incremental and gradual innovation while research and development results in revolutionary,

breakthrough and radical innovation (Sharif, Baark and Lau 2012). Thus, in order to achieve

continuous innovation it is important that organisations focus on both innovation through

research and development and experiences and workplace practices.

Consumers also play a very significant role when it comes to innovation as innovation

also comes from the perceptions and buying behaviour of consumers with respect to various

products and services. Organisations today invest significantly in examining consumer behaviour

and perceptions to ensure that their products and services meet the specific requirements of all

consumers. As tastes, perceptions, buying behaviour and preferences of consumers change,

products and services also have to be changed and this is not a one-off event but an ongoing

process as consumer demands and preferences change very rapidly in the modern age. If



Innovation 8

companies fail to recognise the changes in consumer behaviour and innovate accordingly, they

will be left behind, will no longer remain competitive and will eventually be forced out of

business (Bindroo, Mariadoss and Pillai 2012).

It can be said that innovation is definitely an ongoing process and it cannot be considered

as a single event. However, certain individuals do believe that it is basically a single process and

no further considerations are associated with this process. Individuals who believe that it is a

single event believe that it should be secured by patent. In this manner the innovative idea

becomes protected in both the short and the long run. Several proponents of fact that innovation

is a continuous process and it enhances with the passage of believes with the idea that innovation

possess several phases. These phases should be managed professional to attain the best possible

results. There might be scenarios in which the innovative phase might tamper and drastic

changes might occur. However, it processes are managed effective and efficiently than one can

easily say that proactive results can be achieved through this methodology (Pisano 1996).

Organisations heavily rely on innovative process so that they can develop a break through idea

and enhance their customer base. Once their customer base is enhanced automatically the profit

margins are boosted and ultimately companies are on the pathway of success. But innovative

processes are not about just inventing new process, products or services and leaving them in the

same manner in which they were initially invented. Processes should revamp with the passage of

time keeping in view the internal and external scenarios of an organisation.

Managing stiff competition can be considered as an art and in saturated sector this art is

usually mastered by the giants of the industry. However, people should be aware of this fact that

a terminology sustainable competitive advantage is a relative term or it can also be said that it is

an ideal term. This terminology cannot be achieved in many circumstances because of the fact



Innovation 9

that other players of the market are present and they keep on innovating new ideas. Keeping in

view that innovation is an ongoing process these organisation invent new and modernized

technologies to tackle the competition. Once they are able to tackle the competition with these

methodologies the idea of sustainable competitive advantage automatically breaks down.

Therefore, organisations and decisions makers should realise this fact that they have to enhance

their process in order to keep their respective firms on a winning track (Drucker 2012). If they

are not able to do this other players of the market might tamper their growth and it is highly

probable that they might take their position. The core idea that is associated with the aspect of

innovation is that if you innovative in a proactive manner and on continuous manner then your

competitors cannot copy you. Organisations believe that patents are helping them by proving

them a document through which their competitors cannot copy the idea (Clausen, Pohjola,

Sapprasert and Verspagen 2012). Ultimately, innovative process stop and in reality patents are

hurting the innovative process because individuals are not improving it. Through innovating on

continuous basis organisations can develop better products and they can fulfil the expectations of

their customers in the longer run. This would enhance the profit margin and create long lasting

beneficial effect for the organisation.

The best part in innovation is that the speed of innovation varies from one organisation to

another organisation. This variation is based on several factors like external and internal

environments of organisations, market demand, state of the art technology, management styles

etc. All these aspects play a major role in managing the aspects associated with innovation. It can

be said that innovation cannot be considered as a simple task of collective events because it

involves complex procedures which directs the decisions makers. Firms usually do not operate in

isolated environment and they have to interact with others in the market place. Networking is



Innovation 10

quite crucial for these firms so that they can easily enhance their contacts and attain competitive

advantage through this strategy. However, it should be noted that these networks are quite

important for small firms because they do not have must expertise and specialized personals as

compared to large organisations. Smaller firms do not have a large networks and data library that

is the reason why they need networks to enhance their presence in the market place. Technical

data, inquires, sales leads etc comes from these networks (Mothe and Foray 2001). Besides that

supplier, competitors, agencies, professional associations etc constitute an enterprise network.

All these and other related aspects can be triggered together just to enhance the performance of

an organisation and networks play a significant role in that.

Tidd and Bessant (2009) believe that there are certain risks that are directly and indirectly

involved in the process of innovation. The researcher believes that it is definitely a continuous

event and it cannot be considered as a single event or a one off event. It is a complex process that

usually starts quite easily but with the passage of time it becomes quite complex and

organisations are unable to control the flow of events. The element of risk is involved because of

the fact that innovations most of the time are new and employees are not aware with the scenario

that how can they control it. There are certain unknown risks too like what will happen is process

are initiated in a timely manner but they are not controlled properly. Besides that there might be

a consideration that the processes are not viable enough to implement although it was gauged

earlier that these process are applicable. The actual implementation phase might falter and in the

product or strategy might fail in the longer run. In certain medical surgeries new and modernised

methods are implemented by surgeons so that they can cure deadly diseases. However, at times

the innovative processes might not work and there is a severe risk of patient being dead.

Strategists and analysis should analyse this phenomenon of innovation that a certain level of risk



Innovation 11

is associated with innovation and they should take necessity measures to curb this risk (Tidd and

Bessant 2009).

Innovation and its related processes are not only confined to business related

organisations but other sectors like public service sector, non-profit organisations can also

benefit a lot from this approach. In government organisation people usually people are satisfied

with the way they are working and they want a similar work flow because of several reasons.

However, innovation brings in change in the organisation because of which these government

employees are quite worried as they believe that change is a negative strategy that might tarnish

their growth. Innovation is entering every sector of our society and that is the reason why

government should embrace it with open arms. The public sector should grab this idea and they

should enhance their strategic thinking process so that innovative ideas are fostered in their

respective organisations. In certain scenarios the processes are present but they need to figure out

how effectively they can implement the facets of innovation in their respective organisations.

Government organisations should understand the fact that they should move towards more

technologically advance options so that secrecy of data, privacy infringement and other aspects

are managed in a significant manner (Oliver 2012). In the similar manner the phases of

innovation should be implemented so that employees can understand that they have a culture of

innovation and they cannot stay in this organisation by being stagnant. Innovation and change

management is a process that reflects an organisation orientation towards success. A successful

and a forward looking organisation would grasp innovation with open arms and a stagnant

organisation would look for alternatives. External influences are needed to implement the facets

of innovation in a proactive and once it is done it is highly probable that an organisation can run

smoothly over a longer period of time. There might be certain road blocks or lapses in the



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implementation process like the fear of unknown, innovation is another person’s job, reduction

of pay etc. All these negative connotations would be removed effectively by a change agent and

process might work swiftly. All these aspects are of importance if government agencies are

willing to implement innovation and they are ready to bring a positive change in their respective

organisations.

In a nutshell it can be said that innovation is a positive process if it’s implemented in a

viable manner. This process might be tampered by certain negative forces but if effective

measures are taken then positive results can be experienced. However, innovative process should

be ingrained in organisations not for the purpose of explaining the positives to one another. The

core idea would be to implement a plan that can bring a positive change in the organisation so

that it can flourish. However, innovation should not be linked with invention as invention is

experienced in a single go and it can be considered as a stagnant process. Innovation is a

continuous process and when it is gelled with improvement to give better quality in both short

and the long run. Considering innovation as a stagnant process is basically supporting a negative

mind frame of not changing things. In this manner people would only go for inventions and with

the passage of time change would not be implemented. It should be portrayed to the people that

change is a positive perspective and effective change management policies should be opted by

the people.



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List of References

Baer, M. (2012). Putting Creativity to Work: The Implementation of Creative Ideas in

Organizations. Academy of Management Journal , 55 (5), 1102-1119.

Bindroo, V., Mariadoss, B. J., and Pillai, R. G. (2012). Customer Clusters as Sources of

Innovation-Based Competitive Advantage. Journal of International Marketing , 20 (3),

17-33.

Brynteson, R. (2010). The Manager's Pocket Guide to Innovation. Amherst, MA: Human

Resource Development.

Clausen, T., Pohjola, M., Sapprasert, K., and Verspagen, B. (2012). Innovation strategies as a

source of persistent innovation. Industrial and Corporate Change , 21 (3), 553-585.

Drucker, P. (2012). Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Mann, A., Watt, G., and Matthews, P. (2012). The Innovative CIO: How IT Leaders Can Drive

Business Transformation. New York, NY: Apress.

Martini, A., Gastaldi, L., Magnusson, M., and Laugen, B. T. (2012). Continuously innovating the

study of continuous innovation: from actionable knowledge to universal theory in

continuous innovation research. International Journal of Technology Management , 60

(3-4), 157-178.

Mothe, J., and Foray, D. (2001). Knowledge Management in the Innovation Process. New York:

Springer.

Oliver, G. R. (2012). Foundations of the Assumed Business Operations and Strategy Body of

Knowledge (BOSBOK): An Outline of Shareable Knowledge. Sydney: Darlington Press.

Pisano, G. (1996). The Development Factory: Unlocking the Potential of Process Innovation.

New Jersey : Harvard Business Review Press.



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Santamaría, L., Nieto, M. J., and Miles, I. (2012). Service innovation in manufacturing firms:

Evidence from Spain. Technovation , 32 (2), 144–155.

Sharif, N., Baark, E., and Lau, A. K. (2012). Innovation activities, sources of innovation and

RandD cooperation: evidence from firms in Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, China.

International Journal of Technology Management , 59 (3-4), 203-234.

Stephenson, E. (2011). Innovation. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.

Tidd, J., and Bessant, J. (2009). Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and

Organizational Change. New Jersey: Wiley.

Trantow, S., Hansen, A., Richert, A., and Jeschke, S. (2013). Emergence of Innovation – Eleven

Strategies to Increase Innovative Capability. Automation, Communication and

Cybernetics in Science and Engineering , 161-189.

Varrall, G. (2011). Making Telecoms Work: From Technical Innovation to Commercial Success.

Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons.

