What if Innovation Isn’t Enough

Are they really changing the paradigm here, or are they just moving furniture

The word “innovation”. It’s everywhere. Like oxygen, bad jokes, fake news, Tiktok silliness, and Zoom. It’s like a form of extreme tourettes to which it seems, there is no cure.

Innovation!! Oh, sorry. It slipped ou…Innovation! Damn! I didn’t mean t… Innovation!

I’ll see myself out.

Business is infatuated by it, which is fascinating because to the best that I can discern, it doesn’t really know what it is. Oh yes, there are meandering definitions buried in exotic vision statements, product road maps, annual reports, and lots of enthusiasm in hallways and at conferences.

Like I said: Tourettes.

Never fear though, because you know what? It’s not enough anyway. Not remotely, not unless you like toothpaste lasagna.

The planet and all her people are in a time of change like no other. The term ‘Digital Darwinism’ — coined way back in 1999 by Evan Shwartz — is defined as a time when society and technology is evolving at a pace that businesses can’t naturally adapt to.

Yet Schwartz was really just thinking about the first waves of truly widespread Internet when he wrote that. He could not have…