The Many Forms of Innovation
When people hear "innovation" they often picture a new gadget. But innovation takes many forms - products, services, experiences, processes, and business models - and comes in different degrees, from incremental tweaks to world-changing transformations. Understanding this landscape frees you from a narrow, product-only view and opens up the full range of ways a business can create new value.
Quick poll
Which of these is a genuine innovation?
Pick the answer that fits you best - there's no wrong choice.
Forms
What is new
Degrees
How new
Disruptive
Christensen
Ten Types
Doblin
Learning objectives
After completing this module, you'll be able to:
- Identify the many forms innovation can take beyond products
- Distinguish the degrees of innovation from incremental to transformative
- Explain sustaining vs. disruptive innovation and why incumbents miss disruption
- Use a framework like the Ten Types of Innovation to broaden where you look
- Recognise that business-model innovation is often the most powerful form
In this module
Sources & Further Reading
- •Christensen, C., The Innovator's Dilemma, 1997.
- •Keeley, L. et al., Ten Types of Innovation (Doblin), 2013.
- •Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y., Business Model Generation, 2010.
- •Christensen, Raynor & McDonald, "What Is Disruptive Innovation?", HBR, 2015.