Capella University Incremental Innovation Discussion
ANSWER
Incremental Innovation:
- innovation refers to making small, gradual improvements to existing products, processes, or services. It focuses oIncrementaln refining and optimizing existing ideas and technologies.
- Companies pursuing incremental innovation typically aim to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, or make minor enhancements to existing offerings.
- This approach is often less risky and involves lower investment compared to breakthrough innovation.
Breakthrough Innovation:
- Breakthrough innovation involves creating entirely new and revolutionary products, processes, or services that disrupt existing markets or create entirely new ones.
- Companies pursuing breakthrough innovation aim to bring about a significant and transformative change in their industry.
- This approach often requires substantial resources, research, and development efforts, and it can be riskier compared to incremental innovation.
To answer your question, you would need to analyze the examples provided in the article “Building an Idea Factory” by Hof, Burrows, Hamm, Brady, and Rowley. Look for evidence in the article that suggests which companies are primarily focused on incremental innovation and which are pursuing breakthrough innovation. Consider factors such as the nature of their innovations, the impact on their respective industries, and the strategies they use.
Here’s a general approach to help you answer the question:
- Identify the companies mentioned in the article and their respective innovation efforts.
- Analyze the nature of the innovations described for each company. Are they making small, incremental improvements or introducing groundbreaking, transformative changes?
- Consider the impact of these innovations on their industries. Did the incremental innovations lead to steady growth and market share, while the breakthrough innovations resulted in significant market disruption?
- Evaluate the success of each approach based on the company’s goals, industry dynamics, and market conditions. Is one approach more effective than the other in the context of the specific companies discussed in the article?
- Draw conclusions about which companies appear to be the best pursuers of incremental and breakthrough innovation based on the evidence presented in the article.
Your answer should be based on the information and examples provided in the article, and you should support your conclusions with specific details and insights from the text.
Question Description
I’m working on a marketing discussion question and need the explanation and answer to help me learn.
Read Hof, Burrows, Hamm, Brady, and Rowley’s 2004 article, “Building an Idea Factory,” from Business Week, issue 3903, pages 194–200. Then answer the following question
Which companies in these examples appear to be the best pursuers of incremental innovation? Also, of breakthrough innovation? Does one approach seem to work better than the other?