The Honeycomb Model: A Strategic Blueprint for Innovation

In today’s hyper-competitive market, product managers are constantly pressured to innovate. But true innovation doesn’t happen by accident—it’s about creating new pathways in even the most mature and established industries. Many disruptive breakthroughs occur where no one else is looking. That’s where the "honeycomb" model comes into play.

Imagine a domain like Fixed Operations in Automotive, thought to be optimized with little room for disruption. But within this well-defined space, overlooked opportunities are hidden in plain sight—waiting for the right approach to reveal them.

The Honeycomb Concept

Picture a wall structured like a honeycomb, filled with hexagonal cells, each representing knowledge about your domain. As you gather insights, you file them into these cells. Over time, this creates a mural of the industry.

But this mural does more than provide understanding—it exposes the gaps, areas where processes have stagnated. What seemed fully optimized is now revealed to have "side doors"—hidden entry points where innovation can thrive.

Spotting the Gaps

Traditional approaches focus on incremental improvements. But if you examine your honeycomb mural closely, you’ll see gaps as opportunities, not deficiencies. Innovation comes from these overlooked weaknesses, not by brute force but through insight and execution.

Twenty years ago, I was applying this model intuitively. Today, leadership books finally recognize that disruption isn’t about competition—it’s about discovery. By mapping your domain with the honeycomb model, you gain a strategic advantage.

A Call to Innovators

In a mature industry and think innovation is impossible? Think again. The honeycomb model reveals unseen gaps, making room for breakthrough innovation. The key is to fill each hexagonal cell with knowledge, until the gaps—the areas ripe for disruption—become clear.

Breakthroughs aren’t about being first—they’re about seeing what others cannot.