Partner Article

Innovation and Invention

Although innovation and invention sound similar to us they could not be any more different when pronounced in their original Latin form. Invention comes from “invenire” which means discover while innovation comes from “novus” which means new.

Innovation is a never ending commitment; it is a constant evolving process, whereas invention is that one moment of discovering a solution – that Eureka moment.

Invention requires knowledge to create something new to satisfy a need or desire which would otherwise go unmet. Innovation on the other hand is an ongoing process and crucial to businesses long term sustainability.

It is what makes that business stand out in the market place and more importantly prevents it from becoming stagnant. Ultimately innovation keeps the business moving forward which will in turn make it a success.

But the very culture of the businesses needs to engage their workforce and ensure their business has a culture which allows individuals to not only come forward with their ideas but are able to expedite these ideas.

Coming up with the idea in the first place surprisingly is not the hardest part, encouraging the organisations commitment to changing their culture; being imaginative and coming forward with new ideas is the tricky part.

Not only listen to your employee’s ideas but listen to what your customers say. Discover and create something that they not only want but need.

Lew Plant, Chairman of Hewlett Packard once said: “Whatever made you successful in the past wont in the future.“

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