Incremental Innovation
Small, continuous improvements to existing products, processes, or services.
Also known as: Continuous innovation, Evolutionary improvement, Small-step innovation
Category: Concepts
Tags: innovations, improvement, continuous-improvement, products, processes
Explanation
Incremental innovation involves making small, continuous improvements to existing products, services, or processes. Unlike radical innovation (paradigm shifts), incremental innovation refines what exists - better features, improved efficiency, enhanced usability. Examples include: new smartphone models with better cameras, software updates with new features, or process improvements that save time. Incremental innovation has advantages: lower risk, predictable returns, leverages existing capabilities, and satisfies current customers. However, it has limitations: won't create new markets, can miss disruptive threats, and may optimize the wrong things. Most organizational innovation is incremental - it's how companies stay competitive day-to-day. The key is balancing incremental improvement with occasional radical innovation. For knowledge workers, incremental innovation represents: the daily practice of making things slightly better, the value of continuous improvement, and the limitation of never taking larger leaps.
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