ABSTRACT

This chapter explores how ideas, products, services, and experiences (i.e. different forms of innovations) are actually spread and then taken up in the marketplace. Up until now, much of the practical and theoretical work on innovation has been driven from the perspective of the organisation and the more generally accepted models of innovation. Even if there is a focus on the customer in innovation literature, there seems to be a gap between the identification of the needs and wants of the consumer and the actual understanding and internal configuration given these findings. Instead, customer needs and wants are often reduced to a marketing problem.

The other side of the spread and uptake of innovation is about the innovating firm’s own ability to absorb new discoveries, ideas, and solutions, and its capacity for transforming those into competitive advantages. To a large extent, this phase feeds back into the ideation and creativity phase of the innovation process. Still, organisations do not necessarily devote sufficient resources to this area.