The Hard Road To Innovation

September 2015 Innovative Retail Technologies

By Ken Silay, Leader In Innovation And Technology Management

No one said innovation is easy, but understanding what innovation is — and what it isn’t — can improve margins.

We have been bombarded by a steady stream of advertising during the past year or two that tries to convince us that every company is a leader in innovation. Taglines have been created or modified to include some form of the word innovation (e.g., Innovation that Excites; Innovation for a Safer World; Sound Innovation, etc.). I believe that this is leading to some real innovation fatigue in the marketplace. In fact, if you identified “innovation” on the Gartner Hype Cycle, from the Gartner report, Gartner Hype Cycle, Interpreting Technology Hype, you might say that the initial hype is over, and we are sliding into the trough of disillusionment. We’ve reached the point where we realize innovation is amazing, but it is a lot harder than we originally thought. Don’t let those who may hijack innovation for marketing purposes keep you from its true purpose and value.