Innovation
comes from the Latin word innovatus which means to
"alter" or to "change"; it does not necessarily
mean to craft something completely new. It is the flaunting
of ultimate achievements of the human brainpower. The selection,
commercialization, and development of products or services
have to break away from tradition for them to be innovative.
Innovation being the highest product of human creativity,
results from continuous engagement of ideas and actions with
the aim to learn and face challenges which are embedded in
one's tasks or objectives. Innovation is not just a reaction
to present problems but is also a means to seize unique opportunities
that can bring forth fundamental improvements.
An
innovative product has a limited shelf life. Innovation is
not limited to only products and services. The notion of innovation
can also apply to methods, techniques, and new applications.
For instance, Mahatma Gandhi's method of non-violent protest
against the British was an innovative approach. This was because
for the first time, the rulers and their guardians with guns
and institutional power were confronted by people with no
weapons and legitimate power (a whole new paradigm shift).
Any display of peaceful behavior in any form today can only
be considered as an improvement of the original idea, unless
someone discovers another effective power display, based on
a different set of paradigms, thereby generating an entirely
novel and innovative method. Innovation is not dependant on
wealth, status, position, age, gender or any other characteristic
of an individual, except the ability to think in a creative
way and the presence of supportive institutions. This
implies creativity is necessary for innovation
and is considered as a precursor to innovation.
Creativity
means problem identification and idea generation. It implies
doing things in a simpler and better way. It is a blend of
motivation, time, effort, and skills. To generate creativity,
one need to be free in one's thinking about the barriers and
constraints of the real world. The purpose of creativity is
to create new ideas and thereby generate new perceptions.
Any valuable creative idea will always be logical in hindsight,
but it can't be obtained by logic. |
