Innovation Theater
Superficial innovation activities that create the appearance of progress without real change.
Also known as: Fake innovation, Innovation washing, Performative innovation
Category: Concepts
Tags: innovations, organizations, cultures, criticism, effectiveness
Explanation
Innovation theater refers to activities that create the appearance of innovation without producing meaningful change or value. It includes: hackathons that never lead to implementation, innovation labs disconnected from core business, brainstorming sessions without follow-through, and showcasing buzzwords without understanding them. Innovation theater is seductive because: it's visible and demonstrable, it feels productive, and it satisfies stakeholder demands for innovation. Signs include: focus on activities over outcomes, celebration of ideas rather than results, innovation teams with no path to implementation, and metrics measuring effort not impact. Organizations engage in innovation theater to: signal progressiveness, check boxes for investors, and avoid the harder work of actual change. Combating it requires: connecting innovation to business outcomes, measuring implementation not ideation, and creating pathways from ideas to reality. For knowledge workers, recognizing innovation theater helps: avoid wasting energy on performative activities and focus on changes that actually matter.
Related Concepts
← Back to all concepts