Literature Review: Sources of Innovations (Essay Sample)

Literature review: Sources of innovations
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Sources of innovations
There are several sources of innovation both internal and external according to (Drucker, P.F., 1985). This occurs as a result of a focused effort by a range of different agents, by chance, or as a consequence of a primary system failure. In his words, he says general sources of innovations are various changes in industry and market structure, local and global demographics, human perception, mood, and meaning. Von Hippel, E. (1988) identifies end-user innovation as, by extreme, the most significant and critical. Robotics engineer Engelberger, J. F. (1982) asserts that changes require only three things; a recognized need, capable people with relevant technology and financial support. However, innovation processes usually involve: identifying customer needs, macro and so trends, developing competencies, and finding financial support.
Chesbrough, H.W. (2006) finds that innovation should be customer focused. At a minimum, most companies will conduct a focus group, survey, or other market research periodically to gauge customer needs and wants. This data provided to innovation teams, as one of many contributions, to help them frame the next new produce or service offer.
Some innovators reject such studies since consumers are necessary for only providing ideas that incrementally improve a product. The belief among most innovators is that users do not know what they want until we show it to them, Terwiesch, C. and Ulrich, K.T. (2009).
Furthermore, as the "internet of things" continues to grow, customers are willing to share more and more data with manufacturers and producers. Lefford, N. and Rathi, A. (2007) emphasizes that dreams for new products and services thrive simply by analyzing the data customers are keen to distribute.  Its one of the reasons that some applications and services are free.  The worth of the data exceeds the value of the product or service. "As I’ve said before if you are getting a product/service for free (e.g. Facebook), you are the product," says Ledford and Rathi.
The Kline chain-linked model of creativity by Kline (1985) places highlighting on potential market needs as drivers of the innovation process. It describes the complex and often iterative response loops between marketing, design and manufacturing.
From Lefford, N. and Rathi, A. (2007), we also understand that Competing organizations and firm leaders are two other underutilized sources for innovation. Attending of industry conferences, exhibitions and tradeshows is a good way to keep aware of what the competition is developing or researching. They continue to say that businesses can often use these ideas and append or modify them to create new products themselves. On a higher level, business leaders should endeavor to stay well-connected and networked with other leaders in their industry as this is yet another avenue for gathering ideas.
Innovation by businesses is arrived at through many ways, with much interest now set to proper research and development (R&D) for "penetrate innovations". R&D assists in spur on patents and other scientific innovations that lead to dynamic development. In areas like medicine, engineering, industry, and government innovations can be developed by less formal on-the-job modifications put into practice, through exchange and combination of professional experience. The more fundamental and revolutionary creativeness tend to surface from R&D while more incremental innovations come from practice – but there are many exceptions to each of these trends. Information and changing business processes and management style can also produce a work climate favorable to innovation.
That said, the primary sources of creativity are driven internally by employees in the entire departments of the organization. Evans, K. and Waite, E (2010) explains that employees in addition to sales and marketing jointly make up one of the largest sources for ideas. They say, the virtue of knowledge and experience within an industry and its related products, employees are often the most well-informed opinion basis and can provide detailed, structured proposals for new goods and services. "Encourage worker ideas by providing them with the necessary infrastructure to present new proposals." Evans, K. and Waite, E. (2012) summarizes by saying that, the sales and marketing department usually experiences the greatest balance between consumer relations and internal communication. This allows them to anticipate easily and articulate the needs of customers and translate them into usable ideas. The significance of innovation in entrepreneurship is seen in the creation of new habits to produce products or better solutions. A service industry can get bigger with new or improved types of services to fulfill the ever-changing needs of their clients. Manufacturers can provide with new products from raw materials and by-products.
Creativity or innovation undergoes some steps in trying to come up with the concept. Research & analysis of the current situation seeking and adapting inspirations or also play a part then application of systematic creativity methods & tools. (Osborn, A. 1966) Puts it that divergent thinking and brainstorming acknowledges that every idea counts written down because ideas are NOT actions. Through the use of different thinking tools, focused thinking is functional to reign in the wild ideas (Lewin, J. et al. (1998). Creative Problem Solving in Occupational Therapy, which usually begins with defining the problem. This leads to a simple non-creative solution, or to finding a "textbook solution." The creative problem-solving process may also result in the discovery of prior art and creative solutions by others. The course, in these cases, may then be dumped, if the discovered solution is "good enough." Richard Fobes (1993) records that, this process is a process with solving techniques can be categorized as follows; Mental state shift, Problem reframing, Multiple idea facilitation and change of perspective.
All the above needs great innovative minds with high levels of creativity. (David Perkin’s 2008) States that good creative minds exhibit a great deal of curiosity about many stuff are constantly asking questions about anything and everything. It may have broad interests in many unrelated areas. May devise collections based on unusual things and interests. They generate a large number of ideas or solutions to problems and questions; often offer unusual ("way out”), unique, intelligent responses. They are often unrestrained in expressions of opinion, sometimes radical and spirited in disagreement and are ordinarily tenacious or persistent — fixating on an idea or project. These people are willing to take risks, are often people described as a "high-risk taker, or adventurous, or speculative." They display a good deal of intellectual liveliness and may often fantasize, daydream or imagine. Often wonder out loud and might be heard saying, "I wonder what would happen if. . .”; or "What if we change…" Can manipulate ideas by smoothly changing, elaborating, adapting, improving, or modifying the original plan or the ideas of others." They Are often concerned with developing the conceptual frameworks of institutions, objects, and systems.
The course of innovative problem-solving runs by structured approaches like spider diagrams -visualization of issues, mind maps that are to make assumption explicit, laddering -review goals/level of analysis. Yes and (vs. ‘either/or) -keep options open, lateral thinking -reverse logic, intermediates, and brainstorming -non-evaluative idea generation among others but all approaches have the same framework. Osborn, A . (1966) lists that; 1. Explain and recognize the problem, 2. Research on the trouble, 3. Formulate creative challenges, 4. Generate thoughts, 5)Combine and evaluate the ideas, 6) Draw up an action plan and 7. Do it! (Implement the ideas). These seven steps form the basis of all creative problem-solving approaches. They all focus on a critical responsibility in the creativity process, and innovation that markets value is a creator and sustainer of productivity and transformation. In organizations, stimulants and obstacles to creativity drive or impede enterprise.
Despite the challenges of increased competition, growing at a progressive pace, discovering new creative talent, collecting the debts and reduced number of client projects, we can create space to maintain creativity. Indifference, hostility, and isolation are among the major obstacles to a healthy innovation environment. (Christensen, 1997) says, in most companies, all the cultivation of improvement, especially the kinds of new ideas and disruptive innovations that lead to significant changes in the marketplace and within the business.
To (Oliver, Gassmann 2006), Indifference is the problem. He says while just about every CEO and senior executive of a company pays lip service to innovation, many do not denote it. They say it would be politically incorrect not to embrace change—but they do little beyond that. The mass of executives thrives to top levels by being excellent operational managers. They try hitting high sales objectives, improving products and services to manage competition, supporting existing consumers and acquiring new ones. They also administer mergers and acquisitions, achieving the required financial results quarter after quarter, and so on. However, as executives rise in the organization, other skills become increasingly important.
Oliver says management is about business results and processes. Leadership is about people. The key quality you need in real leadership is passion—the urgency to attack and solve th...