Following yesterday’s article on Target cutting aspects of it’s innovation program, I found another on banning innovation written by the Chief Technology Officer of the City of New York. You can find it here.
“I take issue with the word innovation. I have banned its use in our office.
Innovation without more specific strategy is meaningless. This is especially important at a moment when we are being flooded with emerging technology. We must concentrate on what produces measurable results and not lose sight of ideas that could be transformative. I want my team focused on concrete goals: modernizing government, improving existing technology and creating breakthroughs that lead to meaningful change.”
Innovation is an overused word and it does feel at times like it has lost it’s meaning. When tied to solving specific problems or creating lasting change, innovation can ignite change within an organization.
The risk of getting caught in an endless design loop is real when you are not working to solve a specific problem.
