ABSTRACT
Innovation creates that value for the firm. Kodak, in telling its scientists and engineers to keep digital technology on the shelf, was stifling innovation. Personal computers were still a dream, and there was no simple way to share or even store images. A firm with a genuine culture of innovation goes far beyond that. It rewards creativity and embraces challenges. It takes the approach that if something is going to threaten our business, it may as well be us that initiates and controls the innovation. Innovating on salad bar is incremental at best; let us add walnuts, cranberries, gorgonzola or blue cheese, or perhaps a side of grilled chicken. Incremental improvement is fine for existing operations and business units in the company, but it rarely excites existing customers or attracts new ones. Research in Motion was the innovation and technology darling in portable communications for a decade but drifted as it struggled with product complexity and failed in several launches.
