Innovation… on my mind

Modern business as we know , is now a few centuries old phenomenon. Technology in its current usable form has come to us through a process that probably a few millennia old. However, if go far in the history, we find innovation almost going hand in hand with the evolution of mankind. Innovation existed even when technology and business didn't exist, at least in their current form. What this tells us is that innovation is an inherent capability of mankind. All the manifestations of innovation can be traced back to that one innovative mind. Innovation is a highly cognitive and cerebral activity. Its the innovative mind that gives rise to new ideas, new paradigms and new possibilities. For past few decades , technology has been the major driver of innovation and the context of application has been largely business.

All the theories , frameworks and models of innovation take technology and business as a given and all the narratives of innovation implicitly have technology and business as the reference axis. Contribution of technology and the fertile ground that business provides to nurture innovation has indeed propelled us to newer heights. However, this narrative doesn't capture and explain innovation comprehensively. The increasing complexity and interplay of social, economic and political realities have thrown newer challenges as well as opened up newer vistas for mankind.

What kind of innovation do we need for now and for future? What are the new drivers of innovation? With the changing role of business in society, will the context for innovation change?

What will enable us to hold these forces together and direct innovation in the right direction? What will guide innovation and who will lead innovation?

Once again, all these questions lead us to one central theme..

An innovative mind.