See Through Innovation from Thousand of Lenses

“Anyone can look for fashion in a boutique or history in a museum. The creative explorer looks for history in a hardware store and fashion in an airport."          ~ Robert Wieder

From Innovator’s Dilemma to Innovator's Solution, many great books discuss innovation. Innovation like a puzzle, each one of us want to decode it, innovation like light, all of us try to pursuit it, innovation is the strategy, many companies experiment on it.

Creativity vs. Innovation: Creativity is about thinking the new things, innovation is about doing the new things; Creativity is the inward journey to shape a new idea, innovation is the outward process to implement idea. Creativity need a purpose, innovation is on the purpose.

No one may dare to claim he or she can see through the innovation, but each one of us can perceive, understand, experience innovation via our own unique lens:  

Historian: Genuine innovation (as opposed to improvement) is only decided by history. It requires thinking beyond, as opposed to outside the box, altering or changing the frame of reference to create previously unconsidered solutions. 

Management Guru: Innovation is the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth. --Peter Drucker

Entrepreneur: Innovation is the process of commercializing - not just coming up with ideas. The latter is actually in abundance - the entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial ability to deliver it.

Capitalist: capitalism and innovation always has and always will be about collaborating and connecting; across the organization and outside of it. Its about having conversations that create something new - and being prepared to change what you are doing, not just 'falling in love' with your idea. 

Philosopher: Innovation is to see the substance of things unseen;  One can see an egg another sees an omelet, to be innovative is to transform the single thread into a beautiful garment, words to poetry, ideas expanded to create more ideas, to creates concepts.

Professor: Innovation is the actualization of creating value (economic, social, cultural) through a novel approach that results in a transformational or disruptive platform (product, service, methodology) and for how that platform (product/service/methodology) is differently used, applied or consumed, and finally which is adopted, accepted, or even adored by a critical mass.

Economist: Innovation is a result that generates economic value. 

Futurist: Innovator foresees the future and helps make it happen

Mathematician: Innovations is to see in which circumstances 1 plus 1 is not equal to 2.

Scientist: Innovation is simply solving an old problem in a new way. “We can’t solve the problem with the same thinking when we created it.” Albert Einstein.

Engineer: Innovation is to make complexity simple , thinking how to be and make the most complex things of this world simple, it’s creative destruction, not the other way around

Doctor: To diagnose innovation dilemma, not just check the symptom, dig into root cause.

Cosmologist: Innovation is not always a rocket science.

Firefighter: Innovation is the flame we can keep it firing up.   

Artist: Art begins in imitation and ends in innovation.--Mason Cooley   

Musician: But an innovation, to grow organically from within, has to be based on an intact tradition, so our idea is to bring together musicians who represent all these traditions, in workshops, festivals, and concerts, to see how we can connect with each other in music.    Yo-Yo Ma

Poet: If you go into a bar in most places in America and even say the word poetry, you'll probably get beaten up. But poetry is a really strong, beautiful form to me, and a lot of innovation in language comes from poetry. Jun Jarmusch

Magician: Innovation is the ability to imagine and see something different than the rest of people

Gardner: Innovation need water, fertilizer, landscaping and pruning to grow stronger.

Environmentalist: Environmentalism opposes reckless innovation and makes conservation the central order of business.        –Christopher Lasch

Constructer: Innovation is filling the gaps

Chef: Innovation is about to make tasteful and unique dish with the regular ingredients;

Parent:  Innovation is the love child of insight and imagination

Lazy Boy or Girl: innovation is the result of laziness (or laziness is the father of innovation)

Innovation categories:  "• disruptive innovation • application innovation • product innovation • platform innovation • value engineering innovation • organic innovation • integration innovation • line extension innovation • enhancement innovation • process innovation • marketing innovation •leadership innovation* experiential innovation • acquisition innovation*growth innovation*sustainable innovation*efficiency innovation." 

Innovation Management: Innovation is a management discipline, culture is the key, and focus matter; innovation is finding a new way to address an old problem that adds value in any form (time, financial etc.).Innovation is....hitting the reset button and taking a new approach. Yes, Innovation means too much, it’s a journey:  Looking at what is present. Seeing what is missing. Creating what you see.

Now, do we understand more about innovation, or are we getting our wits end? Innovation is the means to the end, what is the end? The culture? the business? the economy? the world?  Can we see them through, shall we? And how?