Why we innovate
We innovate in order to make better progress; either for ourselves or to get help making progress we seek through service exchange Editing below here What we’re thinking There are many commonly cited reasons for why we innovate. Most revolve around creating value or generating cash. The progress economy reframes that question. We innovate to make better progress – from a progress origin to a progress sought – and, in doing so, improve well-being. We also make a simple observation: the capabilities required to make progress are unevenly distributed across economic actors. Why this matters That imbalance creates the conditions…
The real goal of innovation – improving well-being
To minimise the limitations chasing value brings we need to offer to improve well-being, that is to say “how do we enable better progress?” Editing below here What we’re thinking We’ve identified solving our innovation problem requires a mind shift from chasing added value to improving well-being by enabling better progress. But what does that mean? Why this matters Our progress-first definition of innovation: Now we can design for improved progress rather than depend on chance. Turning Christensen’s call to “compete against luck” into a practical reality. The real question for innovators is “how do we help Seeker(s) make better progress?”…
Accelerating well-being recognition
Can you reduce one or more of the six progress hurdles to enable Seekers to make more progress? What we’re thinking One of the four innovation outcomes is a proposition that reduces one or more of the six progress hurdles. Is your innovation reducing the lack of capabilities or is more adoptable with less resistance? Are you aligning with you Seeker’s position on the relieving to enabling continuum? Or have you innovated the business model to reduce the inequitable exchange fear of unfairness?. » 4: Accelerating potential for well-being recognition frequency An outcome of innovation is accelerating the potential for…
Lowering progress hurdles
Can you reduce one or more of the six progress hurdles to enable Seekers to make more progress? What we’re thinking One of the four innovation outcomes is a proposition that reduces one or more of the six progress hurdles. Is your innovation reducing the lack of capabilities or is more adoptable with less resistance? Are you aligning with you Seeker’s position on the relieving to enabling continuum? Or have you innovated the business model to reduce the inequitable exchange fear of unfairness?. Lowering progress hurdles An outcome of innovation is a progress proposition that lowers one or more of…
Improving today’s progress
Can you better enable Seekers to make the progress they can today in a better way? What we’re thinking One of the four innovation outcomes is a proposition that offers to help reach today’s progress in an improved way. This is actually a conceit. A useful cognitive shortcut relating to increasing non-functional potential progress, or aligning closer to contextual progress of a Seeker’s progress journey. making Today’s progress, better An outcome of innovation is a progress proposition that enables a Seeker to make their current possible progress in a better way The dual of enabling better progress than possible today…
Increasing progress potential
Can you innovate to enable Seekers get closer to their progress sought than they can today? What we’re thinking One of the four innovation outcomes is a proposition that offers increased progress potential. That is to say, a proposition that enables a Seeker to get closer to their progress sought. And that might mean starting closer to their current progress origin. Increasing progress potential An outcome of innovation is a progress proposition that enables a Seeker to get closer to their progress sought than is currently possible Our first innovation outcome is the one that most likely springs to mind…
Innovation and sales: two sides of the same coin
Sales and innovation both aim to enable the making of better progress. Innovation is often off-line, sales more in-line. The former helps sales, and the later may result in local innovation. Both leverage the same progress levers.
Transforming innovation: the operational definition
The real question for innovators is not “how do we add value?” but “how do we enable better progress?”. Seekers want improved well-being, which is operationalised through progress – enable better progress (functional, non-functional, contextual) with lower progress hurdles and quicker well-being recognition. What we’re thinking We’ve uncovered that chasing value is the root of our innovation problem – despite increasing investment, innovation outputs are disappointing and growth is stagnating. I’ve also proposed that the solution comes from a mind shift away from chasing value towards increasing well-being; which is operationalised through enabling better progress. Taking a progress-forward view reveals four clear, actionable,…
Operationalising Innovation: Progress Levers
Progress levers focus creativity, turning innovation (and sales) from a gamble into repeatable creative success. Which levers are you pulling? What we’re thinking One of the most powerful benefits of the progress economy is the clarity it brings to innovation. It reveals a definition that is concrete, operational, and actionable, and which identifies four specific high-level outcomes: We’ll now call these progress levers – aspects of the progress economy where leaders can deliberately focus creative and commercial effort. Used intentionally, these levers move innovation (and sales) away from chance and toward a more systematic and successful discipline. Better still, as we explore…
Sliding along the progress continuum
Close the gap between proposition and Seekers, or explore implications of new positions, on the enabling-relieving progress continuum
