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What Does Innovation Really Mean?

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What Does “Innovation” Really Mean?

Introduction:
What does “innovation” really mean? “Technically, “innovation” is defined merely as “introducing something new”, there are no qualifiers of how ground-breaking or world-shattering that something needs to be – only that it needs to be better than what was there before. The fact is, innovation means different things to different people”. (Sylver, 2008)
Author’s Qualifications:
Brianna Sylver is a writer, researcher, entrepreneur and founder of Sylver Consulting, which works with multinational organizations. Sylver Consulting is known for applying innovation methodologies and consumer research techniques to develop new products and services, prospect new business opportunities and establish innovation processes. (Sylver, 2008)
Summary:
This article relays information on how an innovative consultant can aid a company in moving their product or starting a new product. It is important to understand what innovation truly means in the organization or to the client in order to know what changes need to be made or what is required of the organization. Sylver states, “the consulting firm contracted for the innovation services first needs to understand the client’s motivation for seeking innovation services. (Sylver, 2008) The client usually looks for innovation services due to one of the three situations:
1. “They are engulfed in the flames of the “burning platform”. (Sylver, 2008) This is where the organizations profits are falling, their product isn’t selling, and they have no clue what they should do to change their status.
2. “They have emerged from the days of the “burning platform”. (Sylver, 2008) They do know that innovation needs continuous attention.
3. “They are a leader in their industry and are determined to stay there”. (Sylver, 2008) They can deal with failure and understand how important

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