Innovation as an idea is commonplace but innovation as an outcome of action is extremely rare. We all recognise that there is often a buzz around any conversation about innovation. If the idea is primarily about cost reductions then it can drive significant change. But most innovative ideas simply stall at the conceptual stage and so much is made about little.
Innovation is a popular topic because it is the tool used by those who seek incremental change in government, industry, society, and technological progress. For example, the pervasive innovation our times is automation based on AI. But the power that still resides within our societies rests within the "status quo". Thus even progressive innovations are rated as "longshots" to find their niche and thus some significant success.
Today there is a meme that says the world must go GREEN by 2030. But the inventions/innovations in the fields of energy generation, storage, and reliability are so scarce that those who push this narrative for ideological/profit making reasons must eventually mandate their version of GREEN social order. For instance, there are current efforts to mandate the "15 minute city" wherein people can not travel beyond the limits of their new green zone. This is a variation on those mandated limits imposed on travel during the Covid-19 pandemic [see the model applied in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia].
In my practical working experience most self-professed "innovators" are delusional. They are "delusional actors" who seek to centralise their power and thus to mandate their innovative dream narratives/scenarios. However if they lack the ability to mandate their ideas then their innovative programs tend to stagnate and eventually fail. Alternatively... The innovative ideas that find success are accompanied by a decentralised program that recruits a legion of "rusted on" devotees. And these changes happen with a speed [an effectiveness] that is rare/uncommon throughout human history.
The truth about innovation is that it can rarely [if ever] break through the walls erected by the "status quo". But... A good innovative idea [theme/meme/narrative] can, and often will, chip away at the "status quo" to find success if the innovators' strategy is to sell the benefits of reduced time wasting [automated retail checkouts] or substantial cost cuts [ structural or process changes that speed up time to market, etc].
Richard.
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