The Innovative Process

Innovation itself is quite vague but there are specific pointers that guide us through the innovative process. In this article, we would be looking at two major processes involved in innovation. An innovation without these two processes is just like a drug that goes into the pharmacy without passing through a series of confirmation tests. It could be disastrous and have serious consequences on the part of the manufacturer and on the consumer. 

When we talk about innovation, it entails a lot of processes and hard work put into it for it to become acceptable by the public.

For innovation to come into full realization it has to go through these processes: 

•  A. The innovative-development process

•  B. The innovative-decision process.

 A. THE INNOVATIVE-DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The innovation-development process consists of all the decisions, activities, and their impacts that occur from recognition of a need or a problem. This is done through research, development, and commercialization of an innovation, diffusion and adoption of the innovation by users. These main steps in the innovation-development process are explained below.

• 1. Recognizing a Problem or Need

The innovation-development process often begins with the recognition of a problem or need, which stimulates research and development activities. We must understand that innovation is focused on problem solving of both present and future needs. In the case of Mark Zuckerberg, he has a short term and a long term problem solving strategy which enables him to go through the decision making process which we would also be looking into.

•   2. Basic and Applied Research

Innovation has most times been used synonymously with technology. This is because they both have the same peculiarity. An innovation can result in a new technology and technology, as it’s defined, is the organization of knowledge for practical purposes. This practical purpose is when it solves a problem or it reduces uncertainty in the cause-effect relationship involved in achieving a desired outcome. This implies that a tool can help solve a problem. This tool has a (1) Hardware aspect which consists of material equipment and (2) software aspect that consist of knowledge, skills and principles that provides the right information for a tool. To put these tools in use there must be an original investigation that shows that these tools are capable of solving practical problems. Hence, the need for Applied and Basic research.

•  3. Development

Development of an innovation is the process of putting a new idea in a form that is expected to meet the need of potential adopters. This stage is not isolated from research. For an innovation to be relevant, it has to be able to surpass other competitors and thrive in uncertainty. As regards uncertainty in research and development, exchange of technical information is a crucial factor in understanding how government policies can affect your innovation and how your innovation affects its consumers. The development process involves gathering of data and information.

•   4. Commercialization

Commercialization is the production, manufacturing, packaging, marketing and distribution of a product that embodies an innovation. Commercialization is the conversion of an idea from research into a product or service for sale in the marketplace. 

•   5. Diffusion and Adoption

This might be referred to as the most crucial and critical stage of the entire innovative-development process as it can make or mar the entire process. This stage determines the credibility and the extent to which the innovation is acceptable. 

•   6. Consequences

Finally, the consequences of an innovation in the innovation-development process is the change that occurs to an individual or a social system as a result of the innovation. 

These six stages or processes may not occur as put in order. It may vary but we must understand that it helps to identify the development process of an innovation.

 B. THE INNOVATIVE-DECISION PROCESS

This is the process by which an innovation leaves the stage of knowing about the innovation to the decision making system in which evaluation is made by a series of choices and actions to determine whether or not to incorporate the innovation into an existing practice.

This process comprises 5 stages which are Knowledge gathering, Persuasion, Decision, Implementation and confirmation.

• 1. Knowledge gathering

Knowledge influences decision making. It is irresponsible to conclude on something when you aren’t certain about what the innovation does. This process allows for clarity and exposure on an innovation, its existence and how it works. The knowledge stage comprises of three types of knowledge which are;

• The Awareness-knowledge: The knowing of the existence of innovation.
• The How-To knowledge: Knowledge on how to use innovation properly.
• The Principles-knowledge: Provides information dealing with the functioning principles underlying how an innovation works

• 2. Persuasion

This stage is interested in the attitude towards innovation. An innovation carries some degree of uncertainty and in this context an individual usually wants to know the answer to the question “What are the innovation’s advantages and disadvantages in my situation?”. This attitude-use discrepancy is commonly called the “KAP model” (KAP refers to “knowledge, attitudes, practice) which can directly or indirectly lead to the acceptance or rejection of the decision.

•  3. Decision 

The decision stage can result in either acceptance/adoption or rejection. Adoption is a decision to make full use of an innovation as the best course of action available. Rejection is a decision not to adopt an innovation. Decision can be made at any stage of the innovative-decision process and each stage is subdued to adoption or rejection. Rejection could occur after a prior decision to adopt. This is called discontinuance. Two different types of rejection are:

• Active rejection, which consists of considering adoption of the innovation (including its trial) but then deciding not to adopt it.
• Passive rejection (also called non adoption), which consists of never really considering the use of the innovation.

• 4. Implementation

The implementation stage is interested in the utilization and actualization of the innovation. The innovation implementation can take a lot of time or even less depending on the innovation.

• 5. Confirmation

The last stage of the innovative- decision process takes place when an individual seeks reinforcement of an innovation-decision already made. The innovator may reverse this previous decision if exposed to conflicting messages about the innovation. The confirmation stage could end in discontinuance.

The innovative process is one that requires several steps before being actualized but nothing less is expected when something new is being introduced. It is important that every new idea, product or service goes through the two primary innovative processes which could run concurrently.