From Data To Profit

CHAPTER 5The Disruptor's Mindset

Innovation can't happen all the time, even at companies like Google. When you are in that lucky position of leading innovation, managing the process, or participating in it, enjoy those times because they do not happen often. Innovations are typically incremental improvements. The business can be patenting, doing something in a new way, or applying a new technology, but it's a variation on a theme.

The bigger innovations build something that hasn't existed before; the artifacts are unique. It's rare to be part of true innovation. I've been fortunate to be a part of that amazing process. It comes and goes too quickly.

Innovation happens in a rare confluence of events when the business needs, can afford, and has the resources and talent to put it into practice. Conventional wisdom says that without innovation, the business will fail. That's insufficient and lacks the substance to develop a pragmatic culture of innovation.

Most companies aren't successful innovators because platitudes aren't actionable. A couple of books for people to read about innovation and an idea capture process result from platitude-driven process design. It's called innovation but has never successfully resulted in an innovation that the business monetized.

That's the litmus test. If the current process has not delivered anything to the market or internal users and generated revenues, then it's ineffective. In most businesses, the process must be developed from the ground ...