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,…
Improving how to reach today’s progress potential/progress offered

Improve how Seekers reach the progress they can today
Progress Sought

The more desirable progress state that a Seeker wishes to reach. Upon reaching it, maximum improvement in well-being has emerged (often felt as maximum value). It may have elements inserted by one or more Externalities.
Progress Origin

The progress state for a) where a Seeker starts their progress attempt and b)where a Helper’s proposition assumes the start point is.
Progress Offered

The progress state a Helper offers to help a Seeker reach. A progress offered that is closer to a Seeker’s progress sought is one element of a Helper’s competitive advantage.
Segmentation by progress

The idea We can, and should, segmentation our market by progress sought and/or progress origin. It is more powerful than our typical segmentation approaches that use product features or market demographics (age, sex, postcode etc). Four approaches are found: mainstream, segments, customisable segments, and full customisable. The choice a helper takes has impacts on the progress offered, progress hurdles, seeker’s judgements of progress potential, and proposition viability. EDITING BELOW HERE Segmenting progress sought Progress origin Key recommendations content dump Market segmentation is typically performed through product features or market demographics (age, sex, postcode etc). Here’s a sobering comment from Christensen…
Transforming Innovation: From Value to Progress

Are you in the 94% of executives unhappy with Innovation initiatives? Basing your definition of, and approaches to, innovation on adding value is the fundamental reason. Are you ready to beat luck and re-build on enabling progress?
progress diamond

Editing / Writing The idea The progress diamond is a tool used to visualise the relationship between progress sought and progress offered. It sits in the strategic layer of the progress economy. Signifying its importance in the way a progress helper positions their progress proposition. The progress diamond The relationship between progress sought by a seeker and that offered by a helper is fundamental to exploiting the progress economy. As helpers we need to fully understand the progress journey of a seeker. This means knowing the breadth – the functional, non-functional and contextual elements – of both the: Ideally progress…








