For many of us, innovation is associated with big ideas. Ideas that create a complete transformation in the way things are working. The invention of the printing press is one example. Autonomous cars might become another (and might not). We refer to these big ideas as the result of inventive innovation. Inventive innovation is exciting and inspiring, but the truth is that it is rare. Most of the innovation work is focused on taking a process or a solution to a need or a problem and simply finding a new way to improve them just a bit. We call this sort of innovation ‘incremental innovation’.
The idea of incremental innovation shouldn’t be perceived as frustrating or the easier choice since incremental innovation can contribute a great deal of value. For an Olympic athlete, cutting one or two percent in the time of a hundred-meter race can make the difference between an anonymous contestant and a gold medalist. A one percent increase in revenue per user might translate to millions in profit. And the great news is that, unlike with inventive innovation, the opportunity for incremental innovation exists everywhere. Any process can be done better; any solution can be improved, and many times all that it takes is a fresh thought and adequate implementation. Not easy, but doable.
That is exactly why we are so proud to be incremental innovators. AI-based incremental innovators. The real world is our playground. Every business problem is an opportunity. Every business problem is a new riddle that we need to hack. It’s not glamorous work. There are many challenges and many tedious details, but incremental innovation matters a lot, and we are creating an impact.
There are two questions that we ask ourselves before we take on a new project (and many more once we start working on it). And, we omit here the first question of “is it moral?”, because that goes without saying. We ask:
Does the problem at hand require incremental innovation? Or, in other words, is the potential value big enough to justify the effort?
In an AI approach the right way to move the needle?
If the answer to both questions is “yes”, then the chances of success are high - very high.
In the following image: incremental improvements mean a lot.
