[Spooky23]

Innovation is an awful word because it means different things to different people.

In my experience, end of the day, “innovation” or “creating value” or “getting shit done” boils down to solving problems. It could be big problems like fundamental research or little problems like moving a desk in an office.

Either way, big organizations, private or public sector, create their own problems that are difficult to solve. Inefficient or dumb process sticks around until times are tough because the process gives someone power.

[cs02rm0]

Innovation is an awful word because it means different things to different people.

Doesn't it just.

I approached someone in charge of innovation for a part of the UK's National Health Service. I offered some software (at no cost to them until they were content it met a need) based on a project I'd worked on in a different part of the public sector where the same idea had been successful. I was turned away, not because it wasn't actually innovative, but because to the NHS innovation meant funding deployment of commercially successful, mature software with existing customers and I didn't own the software from the previous project so I'd written a new (and improved) version.

It still puzzles me. I occasionally wonder how much time he must spend turning away people who have innovation ideas wondering why companies with mature products aren't calling his innovation department.

[Nbox9]

> Innovation is an awful word because it means different things to different people.

The word innovation is awesome at dedicating when someone is speaking bullshit.

When someone says the word innovation I assume they are a politician, marketer, salesperson, or in public relations. This causes me to listen to what they are saying more critically because I assume they as a professional attempt to persuade or influence people.

[edparcell]

100% agree. People now use “innovate” and “invent” interchangeably. Typically they use the fancier sounding one because they want to impress people with their long words. They are not interchangeable though. Invention is the initial spark to the first version. Innovation is the polishing process of the next n versions. The iPhone 1 is an invention, and every iPhone after that is an innovation.

Now, the iPhone 1 didn’t do very much, and often there is far more value in the innovation than there was in the original invention. But you don’t get the innovation without first inventing something that didn’t previously exist.

Sadly, using words incorrectly swaps into thoughts, and affects reasoning. Because these words have been conflated, organizations are typically no longer able to reason about invention and innovation correctly, and are uninterested in inventing as a result. I would argue we see this in the lack of new underlying technological inventions after the 90s. It is like we have eaten our own seed corn. Very sad.