The 4 Types of Innovation and the Problems They Solve: A Quick Summary

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Published by Harvard Business Review on June 2017

Summary from The 4 Types of Innovation and the Problems They Solve

Understanding the Author

Greg Satell is Co-Founder of ChangeOS, a transformation & change advisory, an international keynote speaker, and bestselling author of Cascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change. His previous effort, Mapping Innovation, was selected as one of the best business books of 2017. You can learn more about Greg on his website, GregSatell.com and follow him on his blog Digital Tonto and on LinkedIn.  

Summary

Innovation Overview:

Innovation is inherently tied to solving problems and requires a diverse arsenal of strategies for tackling various tasks.

Types of Innovation:

  1. Sustaining Innovation:
    • Focuses on enhancing existing capabilities within established markets.
    • Involves well-defined problems and corresponding skill domains.
    • Strategies include strategic roadmapping, traditional R&D labs, acquisitions, and design thinking.
  2. Breakthrough Innovation:
    • Addresses challenging, precisely defined problems.
    • Necessitates exploration of unconventional skill domains.
    • Open innovation strategies prove effective in exposing problems to diverse skill sets.
  3. Disruptive Innovation:
    • Challenges conventional practices when the competitive landscape shifts.
    • Emphasizes innovation in business models.
    • Lean startup methods and tools like the business model canvas are invaluable.
  4. Basic Research:
    • Pioneering innovations stem from discovering new phenomena.
    • Examples include Einstein’s groundbreaking discoveries and Turing’s universal computer.
    • Access to world-class research is available to enterprises of all sizes through various programs.

Innovation Strategies:

Innovation should be approached akin to other business disciplines, employing a toolbox of strategies for specific objectives.

The Innovation Matrix

  • Assists in pinpointing the most suitable strategy by evaluating problem definition and the required skill domains.

Challenges with Single Approaches:

Organizations often fall into the trap of adopting a singular innovation approach, leading to complications.

Context Matters:

  • There is no one-size-fits-all solution; the context determines the appropriateness of the innovation strategy.

References

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