The Myth of the Brand New Innovation Myth

I hear a lot of talk about innovation in my travels as an academic and consultant in service design. Innovation is not only the new black, it’s the Holy Grail. This piece from Fabio Sergio does a good job of exploding the fairly naive thinking out there about innovation. I liked this end quote very much:

“The answer lies in harnessing the positive tensions that naturally build when any existing social or cultural paradigm can be challenged by the introduction of innovative ideas, products, or services. Without a profound understanding of what people will be ready and willing to introduce into their lives, even brilliant products have regularly failed on markets not mature enough to digest their full potential. Harnessing these tensions is in itself an art that only a group of talented individuals have proven to be capable of mastering.”

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