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Updated: September 28, 2022 Ask ACE

Ask ACE: What does innovation look like?

By Terry Johnson, Practical Decisions

Q: I am not very creative and my business is stuck. I need an innovative solution, but what does innovation look like?

ACE Advises: It is often said that innovation is the lifeblood of a company because new products or services can drive new revenue streams. But innovation is much broader than just new products.

As has been pointed out in recent Ask ACE columns, there is a mindset of improvement enabling innovation and there are many tools and methodologies such as Innovation Engineering, Design Thinking, and Systematic Inventive Thinking. These can be applied to new products, advanced technologies, manufacturing problems, process improvement, or even the fundamentals of the business model.

But what does it look like? Creativity and innovation are related, but they are not the same thing. Many people have the idea that innovation is one person having a light bulb moment. But as Bernard Hidier, co-founder at Karrgreen and director at Finsulate, points out, “You will find keys to unlock value and find the solution just by talking to the people around the issue.”

Innovation starts by clearly defining the focus area, then talking to all the stakeholders to understand all perspectives. It is followed by using their input collaboratively to create something new, at least new to the situation.

In my experience clarity about the problem and multiple perspectives is key. Hidier agrees, “It’s not just the technical idea to solve the problem, but also the model of how the community comes together to accept the innovation.”

For more on the experience of innovation, register for “Strategies and Success Stories to Inspire Innovation” on May 20 at bit.ly/3BvR6Sc.

ACE President Terry Johnson an independent consultant with Practical Decisions. He can be reached at terry@practicaldecisions.com.

About ACE

The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a nonprofit association of independent consultants who value “Success through Collaboration.” The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com.

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