There is a lot of talk about innovation lately, especially around technological advances and the digital world. It seems that innovating is not within everyone’s reach and that something innovative has to be transcendent, complex or end up being a market product. That if a startup has developed a new device powered by solar energy, that if it has invented a backpack for dogs, a knife that does not cut human skin… We usually confuse innovation with other terms such as entrepreneurship, creativity or research and development. To fix that confusion, it is time to innovate for real, using real concepts.
To clarify, we could say that to innovate is to devise something new and make it valuable in the context. Innovate does not only refer to the new. According to the multidimensional approach, an innovative solution is a novelty in its context, a change in the usual method and an advantage over previous solutions.
Let’s give an example
The evolution of football boots
When I was a child the boots were all the same, black, of the same material and with heels. The only difference that existed was the hallmark of each brand and the qualities and finishes, as in any other footwear. Over time, they innovated in the finishes of the soles to adapt them to different types of terrain (functional innovation and diversity). In this way, smooth soles, multi-studs, rubber studs, aluminum…
Later, white boots appeared and then colored ones (design innovation). They were born as a pure marketing strategy of the brands and introduced the fashion factor in this type of footwear.
Finally, in recent years, we have been able to observe how many others were added to these advances, as a result of the appearance of engineering and biomechanics adapted to this sector. The studs are no longer round to take shapes that improve grip and prevent injuries, new materials have been introduced that make them lighter and more aerodynamic, laces have been replaced by other elastic adjustment systems that favor hitting the ball… (innovation ergonomic / anatomical / medical …)
Therefore, we can currently observe continuous and comprehensive innovation in this sector, the result of competitiveness and the need for constant improvement. Obviously we can transfer it to any other and verify the importance of maintaining strategies for generating continuous improvement processes.
Technological innovation
Technological innovation occurs when technology is used as a means to introduce change.
It is evident to remember that the importance of this type of innovation, especially in these times, is substantial. Therefore, it is necessary to keep track of the advances in our sector in order to offer a wider, current and more competitive range of solutions. However, we do not have to confine ourselves to this plot, it is convenient to innovate in other facets. As in the example of the boots, the new technological solutions have not left aside that they continue to innovate in design, aesthetics or other functionalities.
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I think that all education and training professionals should do our part in this regard, to promote new effective, creative and innovative learning solutions that break with established systems. It is time to surprise and do things differently. Do not you think?
It is Time to Innovate – 7 Tips
Well, today we are going to talk about how to innovate in our daily lives. To do this, we offer you some general advice that can be applied to any context or circumstance.
1. OBSERVE other contexts and places
Something new here may not be new in another part of the world or in another area of life, and vice versa. With the internet you have it easy, find out and investigate within your field how professionals from other countries work or pay attention to your surroundings to find solutions in other different contexts.
2. QUESTION your current model
Look for and extract weaknesses, ask yourself what is wrong or what aspects could be improved. How much time do you spend? What is the scope? Where? Why? Try putting it down on paper or a chart for visual reference.
3. ANALYZE and section your object of study
Create as many divisions as you can, categorize and classify the theme in question. Create a visual scheme that will help you to attack the “innovable” points one by one. This order will help you in the process of generating improvement ideas when the time to innovate comes. In the example of the boots, you can create a diagram with the parts that compose it (tongue, sole, laces, instep…) Another one with the lines of improvement: design, resistance, optimization in production…
4. FOCUS on one category
The steps above are key. Start in order or select the hotspot you consider. It is essential to work on a category and squeeze its possibilities. It is very common that during this moment you have ideas about another point, write them down in any case, but try to keep the focus.
5. CREATE improvement solutions
Attack a single point and flood it with ideas. Use creativity techniques and write down all the proposals that come up. Then analyze them, check the feasibility and that they meet your objectives.
6. DISCUSS and share
Joint reflection and collaborative work opens up creative possibilities and helps question individual contributions, thus strengthening the process of generating improvement solutions.
7. ALTERNATE and keep insisting
Depending on the innovative approach, an exhaustive analysis of all the possible improvement solutions can be carried out and then the most viable ones can be put into practice, or alternatively work with prototypes and pivot and analyze as you go.
Finally, if you have considered starting to innovate, it is convenient that you adopt a work method. You know, research and customize the one you think best suits your interests.
