1. Can Everybody Innovate?
The 3 magic words that pervades all ofmanagement academia are Global, Leadership and
Innovation
Every executive and management scholar has his own expertise to offer on almost all of these topics.
This creates a plethora of ideas and jargon that raise the concepts to a level where they turn more
into academic ideas than practical implementable constructs which can raise the ability and
effectiveness of an average manager.
Let’s begin by trying to understand the meaning of the word innovation before answering the bigger
question of whether it is meant to be the preserve of a select few or is it more democratic in nature?
The word innovation derives itself from the Latin word Innovatus which roughly translates as, to
renew or tochange. Innovation has so far largely been hailed or recognized when it has been
disruptive in nature i.e. when the features of the core product or service has been dramatically
altered or done away with and replaced by something else.
The replacement of the physical keypad with the touch feature in mobile phones is one such
innovation. Another prominent example would be IPod which not only completely changed the
amount of music one could carry around but also did not require an external component like a CD
or a cassette to reproduce the music.
These are staccato events that occur infrequently over long time intervals, so how do businesses
continue to enhance their competitive edge in the interim?
If one were to revisit the meaning of the word innovation it might not be out of place to stretch the
definition to “new ways of doing existing tasks”.
Translated in the language of business this could roughly mean new ways to manage people,
product, process and the physical/virtual space that business operates in
As long as the change is perceived by customers as offering a new benefit of sufficient
appeal,changingeven a small aspect in any of the 4Ps can be considered as an innovation.
This approach dramatically democratizes the concept as virtually every employee in an organization
plays an active role in managing either 1 or all the 4Ps,
Moreover the customer not only engages with the company’s products but its people, its processes
and its infrastructure as well.
A great example of process innovation is the home delivery and credit facility offeredby the local
kirana which is a key competitive edge it has acquired over organized retail chains.
2. Spot financing and trade in facility offered by the automotive industry is yet another example of
non-disruptive innovation which can be continuously fine-tuned.
To make the approach to innovation even more doable and dynamic how about movingparadigm
even further from innovating the 4Ps to innovating the completecustomer consumption ecosystem,
namely;
The pricing and payment options, e.g. (Tata DoCoMo per sec rate),
Acquisition & Delivery option (Fortis hospital, Satellite clinics, mobile clinics / telemedicine/
online services)
Enhancement of non-core features (Indigo airlines preordered meals, why not pillows,
blankets reading material)
Usage support options (Toyota – 24 hour helpline, Mobile services, Backup vehicles, Remote
assistance, Auto reminderservices)
Disposal & Renewal (Gold jewelry guaranteed buy back with minimum assured price)
Could this then be the approachto a viable model to understand and deliver innovation by every
member of an organization ona nearly everyday basis?
