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Purposeful innovation & the seven sources of innovative opportunity

" Entrepreneurs innovate and innovation is the specific instrument of


entrepreneurship"

Peter Drucker - page 44, Innovation & Entrepreneurship recommended reading

Innovation creates resources, not vice versa, as without innovation resources


would remain in the earth or in the minds of humans until someone found a use
for it. For example, the resource value of many natural elements has only been
realised when mankind has developed ways to harness a use for that resource -
think wool/textiles, sand/glass, oil/petroleum, iron/steel, mould/penicillin, coal /
steam as some of the most fundamental. The use of these technologies did not
happen by mere chance or a momentary single stroke of genius.

By finding a use for these resources mankind creates economic value from what
previously did not exist. Australia's economic and social development has much
to thank for the creation of global markets for wool and mineral commodities
such as iron ore and copper. These are also examples to show how innovation
does not have to be solely 'high tech'.

Purposeful innovation comes from invention and in turn invention is driven by


research and a vision. Today, the development of new fuel technologies is the
by-product of purposeful innovation - it is not merely stumbled upon.
Corporations seek answers to the world's energy challenges and invest in
research of alternative fuel technologies (purposeful innovation) because they
recognise the economic advantages that can be created from successfully
developing innovative fuel technologies.

Similarly, the development of software tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator


have revolutionised the design and communication industries. The development
of these software tools was purposeful - they were developed to improve the
productivity of design companies and designers. The software developers gained
significant economic advantage whilst at the same time advancing the utility of
the global design community.

Thus successful entrepreneurs try to create value and make a contribution


alongside the underlying motivation for economic advantage and wealth as
economic advantage can only be created if fundamentally superior value is
created. It is this focus on what represents value or potential for better resource
productivity that drives research and development of new and innovative ideas
for new products, services and resources.

Recognising and seeking change is the catalyst that drives the entrepreneur and
it is this drive for change that provides the opportunity for the new and different.

"Systematic innovation therefore consists in the purposeful and organised search


for change, and in the systematic analysis of the opportunities such change
might offer for economic or social innovation"

Peter Drucker - page 49, Innovation & Entrepreneurship recommended reading

Thus, we may define innovation as a diagnostic discipline involving a systematic


examination of changes occurring that may provide entrepreneurial opportunity.
Peter Drucker articulates systematic innovation as involving the examination of
seven sources of innovative opportunity:

The unexpected (success, failure, outside event)


The incongruity between the way things actually are and the recognition of the
way they should be.
Innovation based on process need
Surprise changes in industry or market structures (from activity of free market or
government legislation)
Demographic & sociographic changes (lifestyle changes)
Changes in perception, mood and meaning
New knowledge (both scientific and non scientific)
All these areas must involve mutually exclusive assessment and no single are
has more influence than the other.

Unexpected success:
In design, Levi Strauss developed a sturdy pant made from denim textile for gold
miners during the 1800's. Unexpectedly Levi Strauss has developed from a work
wear manufacturer to a global fashion brand synonymous with youth culture.

Unexpected success is not an opportunity for innovation but rather it demands


innovation. It forces us to ask what can be done with the unexpected result. Both
companies mentioned have gone on to develop global markets for their products
and expand on their product ranges.

Unexpected failures

Most unexpected failures are neglected. For example the developers of the
revolutionary drug 'Viagra' had originally pursued research to develop a drug
related to heart disease and after failing found the unexpected side effects were
the basis of the drug that has put smiles on the faces of many middle aged
couples around the world and at the same time developed a multi billion dollar
product industry.

Unexpected Outside event

Rip Curl, a global leader in surf wear, developed wetsuits designed specifically
for surfers after unexpectedly recognising the application of neoprene by navy
and military divers. After modifying this neoprene product, Rip Curl developed a
global market for surfing wetsuits and in turn contributed to the global
development of surfing participation and the $9Billion global surfing industry.

Incongruities

An incongruity is the discrepancy between what actually is and what is expected


or what is ideal. A good example is in the delivery of a service such as airline
travel. For many decades, airline travellers accepted high prices and poor
service from the airline industry. The balance of power lay firmly with the airline
companies. In Australia the entry of discount carriers in a perfect example. Virgin
entered the market on the basis that customers would sacrifice some service
offerings for better prices. As a consequence, the introduction of low service and
low price carriers has been a dramatic development in Australia. The incongruity
lay in what the incumbent airlines (Qantas, Ansett) considered their customers
valued. They ignored the high importance placed on low fares.
Need

It is said that necessity is the mother of all invention. Need drives many
successful innovations. It is need that has driven the development of defence
and aviation technologies. Need has driven the development of pesticides and
vaccines. Need has driven the development of universities and business schools.
Such mundane products as the ball point pen, the 'post-it' note and the word
processor have been driven by the needs of consumers.

Industry & market structures

Retail is an industry that translates to many product and service categories. The
traditional retailer had physical premises selling a product, service or both. The
traditional model was for a wholesaler to supply products to a retailer. Each party
considered that being a wholesaler and retailer was mutually exclusive and
interdependent - you could not be both. Enter two phenomenons of the 70's &
80's, the manufacturer and retailer. Firms such a Just Jeans and Gap started
developing product under their own brand rather than relying solely on
traditional wholesalers such as Levi Strauss. Fast forward years and today both
retail groups sell predominantly their own product and Levi Strauss has become
a retailer in its own right.

Similarly, book retailing has been dramatically affected by the advent of the
internet as a means for selling standardised product on line direct to a consumer
that can access the Amazon online shop front from anywhere in the world.
Amazon, and the Internet, has changed the retailing landscape for good and
developed into a multi billion dollar global marketplace for everything from
books to cosmetics, perfumes and education.

Demographic & Social changes

Often changes in society create product and service opportunities. The explosion
in inner city high-density urban apartment development has been supported by
a shift towards the cities.
Food industries have developed new products containing health and well being
properties as a response to societies desire for low fat, low carbohydrate healthy
meals.

Demographic changes, the ageing of Western economies populations has fast


tracked the developed of superannuation and pension fund planning (retirement
planning).

The increasing acceptance of gay and lesbian communities in the wider


community has encouraged the development of media, products and services
targeted specifically at gay and lesbian consumers.

Perception, mood & meaning

Perception and mood arguably drive the global fashion industry whose design
houses seek to capture the essence of how societies feel and view the world. The
changing colours have as much to do with seasons, as they have to do with the
prevailing socio-economic environment. A new fashion brand can develop by
capturing and commercialising a social mood and translating it into a design
aesthetic that is highly relevant, modern and as a result appealing.

In period of recession and war the colours and mood are muted and understated.
When economic prosperity and peace returns the collections become colourful
and extroverted.

Similarly music, film and art expresses much of societies mood and perceptions
at the time.

New technology

New technologies spark new services and products. The development of MP3
technology has driven the development of Apples i-Pod and i-Tunes music
distribution. Wireless technology has spawned the development of the wireless
office space with re-assessment of traditional work place design from fixed work
stations to open plan offices with multiple fluid 'meeting rooms'.
Learning Activity 1.4

Are there more sources than the seven identified by Peter Drucker? Please
comment with examples and explanation.

Does the seven-source framework translate into all product and service contexts
or does it have limitations to how it can be applied. Please comment with
examples and explanation.

What of social innovation? Does innovation have to be tangible and economic for
it to be relevant or recognised? Please comment - using example

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