Want innovation? Forget invention, learn to execute
When I ask what innovation is, I often hear the term “invention.” Sometimes I hear “design.” Almost never do I hear “execution.” And yet, without execution there is no product, no service, no impact. Overvaluing invention and undervaluing execution leads to poor resource allocation and underperformance in most innovation-focused organizations.
innovation is not driven by invention
The primacy of invention to successful innovation is a myth, as I’ve explored elsewhere in my writing. That is not because invention is unimportant — it is a critical step. But actual invention precedes high-impact innovation by years or decades, if not centuries. Rarely are the inventor and the successful innovator the same. That is because good ideas by themselves do little.
High-impact innovation comes from putting the pieces together well — design — and delivering a great product — execution. Where does invention come in? It’s the raw material, but like so many raw materials it’s often better to source it from elsewhere rather than digging it up yourself. Don’t believe me? Tablet computers existed for decades before the iPad, electric cars were 100 years old before the first Tesla Roadster. The list goes on.
