The Apple approach to innovation
Apple has just launched a new iphone 6 and Apple Watch to great fanfare.
As expected this launch created a great deal of buzz around the world.
It appears from the early reaction that employees, consumers and investors are all excited by these new products.
For many managers, leaders and business owners, Apple represents the very best in innovation.
In fact, I cannot remember an innovation or leadership conference where the Apple brand is not mentioned in glowing terms as the pinnacle of innovation.
If you step back from the hype a few questions remain.
Is this the only approach to innovation?
And
Is this the best example of innovation that we all should follow?
What is great about the Apple approach
– It is big. The media coverage alone almost guarantees a big success.
– It might be potentially game-changing in the Watch market for example.
– The new products build on the key brand strengths of beautiful style, image and usability.
– They are not afraid of entering new markets.
– Apple does a few big, things — really well.
What is not too like about the Apple approach?
– It is relatively slow and infrequent.
– Involves huge risks
– Big investments.
– And there have been rumours and leaks about this product launch which gave Samsung for example a big advantage.
Do we also need another approach to innovation?
Absolutely.
Apple has a great heritage and culture built around creating the next big thing.
But most medium to large organisations don’t.
What’s more, at Apple from the CEO down they believe that innovation is vital for the success of their business.
Other organisations often have different critical success factors.
This is why I have developed a new approach which i call — Small Wins Innovation.
It is a faster, easier and simpler approach.
Small wins innovation is built on the idea that small changes can (often) make a big difference — over time.
It might just be the approach that you are looking for as it engages more people in the innovation journey.