Innovation processes: expectation vs. reality
Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 10:14 am
Today, we are witnessing how innovations, not only in a technological sense, but in all areas of modern society, are advancing at a great speed, compared to the time it took in the past to witness how great changes were adapted to everyday life.
To a large extent, this is because many companies have seen results in terms of profitability and competitiveness in the integration of innovation processes , which is why today we see a race in innovation offers .
Thus, innovation understood as a process and activity, as we will see later, has proven to be the key in today's world to stand out , increase income, and consequently grow and ensure permanence in the market, which is becoming more saturated every day.
From the above, it is clear that it is essential for companies to implement innovation processes in a comprehensive manner, both in internal operations and in their services and products, but what is it and how are these processes actually executed?
Misconceptions about innovation
Contrary to popular belief, innovation is more than a creative event that is expected to emerge spontaneously and offer immediate results; it is a process that must be planned , with a well-established structure, phases, objectives, goals and timeframes.
Another common but erroneous idea is that innovation is limited to technological issues, that is, it is not considered that it can also be focused on the organization's operations and commercial strategies , or on communication channels with consumers.
Therefore, the fact that the innovation process and result do not lead precisely to the launch of new products or services does not mean that the results are not tangible and that the benefits and their financial impact are not quantifiable.
Reality, how is innovation carried out?
In this same sense, the digital transformation of processes and services may not be enough as a strategy; instead, the ideal path to undertake a successful innovation process is to start from one of the following lines of action :
Changes in consumer behavior patterns.
Unmet customer needs.
Changes in the industry.
A potential new market of interest.
New technical solution.
New technologies and business models.
It is therefore necessary to begin an innovation process based on consumption chile phone number data patterns and changes in the industry , rather than starting with large investments in technologies or developing new products that do not consider the above.
On the other hand, innovation processes must take into account the real capabilities and resources of the company, so that these can be sustainable for the period required during the process, to guarantee the development and continuity of the organization .
>> Make market innovation
and digital transformation a reality in your company.
Find out more here <<
Innovation is a gradual process
Innovation is often thought of as an object, acquired spontaneously, from which collaborators automatically acquire knowledge about what it is and how it works; however, this is not the case.
Let us remember that innovation processes take time and do not occur like an act of magic, since what is done is to transform ideas into novelties:
Products or services.
Manufacturing processes.
Operational processes.
Internal and external communication channels.
Organization or marketing methods.
Like any business process, it must be managed and controlled . This requires planning and structure, as well as being executed in established times and phases, with objectives to be met in each one, as well as clear final goals.
Let's think of the innovation process as a cooking recipe, where certain elements that will intervene in the process must be considered: creativity and punctual inspiration, technical knowledge and technological tools , in addition to a certain time and order to meet the established goal.
Phases of the innovation process
In general, the innovation process can be divided into 4 main phases:
Ideas . This first step begins with the search, discovery and collection of innovation potentials, in order to materialize an idea with goals and expectations that will subsequently be evaluated.
Concept . Deep and exhaustive analysis to investigate the information about the idea and its possible processing. The following elements are considered in this step:
New market and customer needs.
Market potential, such as the size and attractiveness of the market.
Opportunities, such as the possibilities of differentiation from the competition.
Risks and feasibility, for example, technical feasibility, potential obstacles to market entry. As well as legal and regulatory issues.
Subsequently, the derivation of concepts for the solution, implementation and commercialization is made, but without ceasing to prioritize the analysis of the client's needs.
Solution . In this step, the solution is developed and later, when it is ready, it will be implemented and launched on the market. To do this, it is necessary to create prototypes and carry out the relevant tests, either in the laboratory or on the market.
Market . This last step of the process is closely related to innovation marketing and, if applicable, includes production and logistics as established in the first phases.
To a large extent, this is because many companies have seen results in terms of profitability and competitiveness in the integration of innovation processes , which is why today we see a race in innovation offers .
Thus, innovation understood as a process and activity, as we will see later, has proven to be the key in today's world to stand out , increase income, and consequently grow and ensure permanence in the market, which is becoming more saturated every day.
From the above, it is clear that it is essential for companies to implement innovation processes in a comprehensive manner, both in internal operations and in their services and products, but what is it and how are these processes actually executed?
Misconceptions about innovation
Contrary to popular belief, innovation is more than a creative event that is expected to emerge spontaneously and offer immediate results; it is a process that must be planned , with a well-established structure, phases, objectives, goals and timeframes.
Another common but erroneous idea is that innovation is limited to technological issues, that is, it is not considered that it can also be focused on the organization's operations and commercial strategies , or on communication channels with consumers.
Therefore, the fact that the innovation process and result do not lead precisely to the launch of new products or services does not mean that the results are not tangible and that the benefits and their financial impact are not quantifiable.
Reality, how is innovation carried out?
In this same sense, the digital transformation of processes and services may not be enough as a strategy; instead, the ideal path to undertake a successful innovation process is to start from one of the following lines of action :
Changes in consumer behavior patterns.
Unmet customer needs.
Changes in the industry.
A potential new market of interest.
New technical solution.
New technologies and business models.
It is therefore necessary to begin an innovation process based on consumption chile phone number data patterns and changes in the industry , rather than starting with large investments in technologies or developing new products that do not consider the above.
On the other hand, innovation processes must take into account the real capabilities and resources of the company, so that these can be sustainable for the period required during the process, to guarantee the development and continuity of the organization .
>> Make market innovation
and digital transformation a reality in your company.
Find out more here <<
Innovation is a gradual process
Innovation is often thought of as an object, acquired spontaneously, from which collaborators automatically acquire knowledge about what it is and how it works; however, this is not the case.
Let us remember that innovation processes take time and do not occur like an act of magic, since what is done is to transform ideas into novelties:
Products or services.
Manufacturing processes.
Operational processes.
Internal and external communication channels.
Organization or marketing methods.
Like any business process, it must be managed and controlled . This requires planning and structure, as well as being executed in established times and phases, with objectives to be met in each one, as well as clear final goals.
Let's think of the innovation process as a cooking recipe, where certain elements that will intervene in the process must be considered: creativity and punctual inspiration, technical knowledge and technological tools , in addition to a certain time and order to meet the established goal.
Phases of the innovation process
In general, the innovation process can be divided into 4 main phases:
Ideas . This first step begins with the search, discovery and collection of innovation potentials, in order to materialize an idea with goals and expectations that will subsequently be evaluated.
Concept . Deep and exhaustive analysis to investigate the information about the idea and its possible processing. The following elements are considered in this step:
New market and customer needs.
Market potential, such as the size and attractiveness of the market.
Opportunities, such as the possibilities of differentiation from the competition.
Risks and feasibility, for example, technical feasibility, potential obstacles to market entry. As well as legal and regulatory issues.
Subsequently, the derivation of concepts for the solution, implementation and commercialization is made, but without ceasing to prioritize the analysis of the client's needs.
Solution . In this step, the solution is developed and later, when it is ready, it will be implemented and launched on the market. To do this, it is necessary to create prototypes and carry out the relevant tests, either in the laboratory or on the market.
Market . This last step of the process is closely related to innovation marketing and, if applicable, includes production and logistics as established in the first phases.