Innovation

LifeSource Innovation? Innovation is discovering new ways of creating value. Innovation serves as the Lifeblood of LifeSource whose survival and growth depend on developing new technology, products and services. A successful organization is a creative organization because creativity is the single most important contribution employees can contribute for its success. Innovation is of benefit only if it creates value. In a successful organization, innovation is sustainable and on-going, rather than a process characterized by succession of "boom and bust" events. A creative organization is "lead," rather than "managed."

As a sustainable innovative organization we must be fluid and "organic", almost biological in nature to foster the constant creativity vital for the success of a modern organization.

Innovation is not "business as usual" as it may challenge the existing system, "rocking the boat." There must be good reason for doing so. A degree of security and stability is essential to "incubate" creativity. The model to foster sustainable creativity is drastically different from the innovation programs developed by many that failed. While many did not survive, there are examples of organizations that successfully added value.

Innovation is the lifeblood of the modern competing organizational environment. In the fiercely competitive 21st century marketplace, innovative ability is essential for The following are major ingredients for LifeSource to sustain innovation:

Creating value: Innovation is a process of creating value and to stimulate the survival and growth of the organization. Ideas can come from anywhere. Too many companies become embroiled in the ideas generation process or where they came from. Ideas by themselves do not add value. It is the ownership of results (i.e., implementation an idea into action) that can create value. Successful innovative companies, therefore, cultivates creative ideas that add value.

Dynamic process: Innovation for the company is as "oxygen for a living body." Oxygen must be delivered to all cells for survival of the whole body. The innovative organization includes everyone in the loop to generate ideas. Like the individual cells serving the body, in a truly innovative organization, the individuals are empowered by releasing their untapped potential and creativity. Successful innovation is a dynamic process that sustains itself.

Innovation is anything but business as usual: Innovation is getting people to overcome their ego and to recognize that business as usual is not the best approach to solve a problem. Helping people to broaden their perspective, think "out-of-thebox," allows one to be creative. Getting people to see a different point of view is an ego issue. People tend to think that the way they have always done business must be the best way.

Innovation versus invention: Invention is discovering things that have never been discovered before. Innovation, on the other hand, is the discovery of new ways of creating value. Not everyone can be an inventor, but everyone can be innovative. While not all innovations are inventions, all inventions are innovative.