Adoption is the Key to Unlocking the Value of Innovation

When Johannes Gutenberg invented his mechanical moveable type printing press around 1436, it was the key to unlocking a new era in producing and distributing printed materials, faster than ever before. According to historians, it took three years to produce 200 copies of the Bible with Gutenberg’s printing press, which was incredibly quick in the era of hand-copied manuscripts. However, at that time, literacy rates were very, very low. Only a small subset of people in a town could read, and distribution of goods from town to town was also very difficult.

Unfortunately, Gutenberg never lived to see the impact of his innovation. He died penniless, and his printing presses were impounded by his investors to pay his debts. Only when other German printers moved to Venice and began selling their books to ship captains leaving port did Gutenberg’s idea begin to show its value. When the printers found a market and distribution network for their publications, the printing press began to drastically change the consumption of news and the spread of information.

Gutenberg’s story demonstrates that creativity and innovation alone aren’t enough for sustainable success. Although his printing press was a revolutionary idea, there were very few people who could adopt Gutenberg’s innovation because they lacked the necessary skills. As only a few people could read, they were unable to use the books printed on Gutenberg’s printing press. It was only years later, after his death, that people were able to widely benefit from this disruptive technology.

It’s also an excellent example of the innovator’s dilemma, which states that businesses need to strike a balance between meeting their customers’ current needs and adopting innovations and new technologies to meet the needs of their customers in the future. Gutenberg saw what people would need in the future but missed out on meeting their current needs.

More than 500 years after Gutenberg’s discovery, adoption is still an extremely relevant topic. While the pace of change and innovation is increasing more rapidly than ever before, we also need to enable people to work with the technology of today while anticipating what they will need to complete their tasks tomorrow.

To meet this challenge, we will need to find creative and innovative solutions. We can do this by seeking out new perspectives and connecting with people who have different backgrounds or different skills than own. We also need to encourage a culture of openness and discussion to take these diverse perspectives into account. When we collaborate with others, we might discover a completely new aspect that we hadn’t considered before. This aspect might be the key to unlocking the value or determining the viability, feasibility, and desirability of an idea.

When we are seeking out new perspectives on ideas, working closely with our customers and users is essential to learn and understand what their needs truly are. Taking their needs into account and learning how an innovative process or idea can help meet them is invaluable when evaluating whether an idea is viable, feasible, or desirable.

Just creating a new technology isn’t enough. We also have to enable people to use the technology. In Gutenberg’s case, printers were able to use the printing press, but the printers had very few customers because very few people could read. Once literacy rates increased, the printing press and consumption of printed materials took off, forever changing the world. As we can see here, lack of training and skills is a major barrier to adoption of any technology.

This holds true even today as organizations make their way through their digital transformations. Providing the skills necessary to effectively use a new technology not only helps drive adoption but also helps organizations create value with the technology. Enabled users are empowered users, and empowered users enable resiliency, drive performance, and enhance sustainability. When people can complete their tasks with confidence, they are also more able to adapt to change. As we have seen over the past year, companies that can adapt to disruptions and changes are more likely to have sustained success.

In an ever-changing business environment, the need for creative and innovative solutions will only increase. Although investing in new technologies can help meet this challenge, the true proof of an innovation be seen through adoption. Only when an innovation has been adopted can we begin to unlock its true value.