The Innovation Race

1 THE AMAZING INNOVATION RACE Who wins, who loses, who gets eliminated — and why we need to change the game

Welcome to the global reality race. In this chapter we start the adventure by questioning the typical assumptions about innovation and proposing the need for a new paradigm that will propel us forward into the future.

This chapter will help you to:

• examine the concept of the ‘innovation race’ and the impact on individuals and organisations
• identify how strategic your innovation focus is
• explore the need for a clear sense of purpose and connected process in innovation
• consider the benefits of proactive and sustainable innovation
• appreciate the importance of purpose-driven innovation for greater social responsibility and environmental sustainability
• understand the elements of transformational innovation.

Key challenge: How to prepare for the purpose-driven innovation process

Back in 1985, when hairstyles were boofy and TV was serious business, a television camera zoomed in on a veteran Australian journalist as he stood in the middle of the brutally hot North Australian desert. On one side of him stood a team of highly trained SAS soldiers (an elite military special operations force) in full combat gear. On the other side was a group of traditionally (lightly) dressed Australian Aboriginals. The challenge was for the two teams to race against each other to a set destination. TV cameras would follow each team every step of the way, the winners demonstrating their superior ...