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Innovation: How many dimensions can you think in?

People (and organisations) talk a lot about innovation, but often do so in very narrow terms such as product innovation. This is very limiting. In reality there are many dimensions for innovation, eg:

  • Product
  • Service
  • Market
  • Price
  • Promotion
  • Channel
  • Process
  • Technology
  • Information
  • People
  • Organisation
  • Business

Most innovative thinking only explores one or two dimensions, while assuming the others are fixed. There are enormous opportunities when you start innovating in multiple dimensions at once. Unfortunately, responsibility for innovation in these separate dimensions is usually fragmented between functional silos, with little joined-up thinking. What new opportunities could open up for you, if you brought these dimensions together?

First posted April 27th, 2009