Roger Miller

Innovation reinvented : six games that drive growth

Table of Contents Preface PART I- INTRODUCING THE GAMES Chapter 1 The Diversity of Innovation Chapter 2 Peering into the black box Chapter 3 Searching for Patterns Chapter 4 The Games of Innovation Chapter 5 Emerging and Mature Markets Chapter 6 Product Architecture PART II: THE SIX GAMES OF INNOVATION Chapter 7 Eureka! Chapter 8 The special case of the pharmaceutical sector Chapter 9 Battles of Architecture Chapter 10 Breakthrough Games: High technology craft Chapter 11 New and Improved Chapter 12 Mass Customization Chapter 13 Pushing The Envelope Chapter 14 Transitions PART III: LOOKING AHEAD Chapter 15 Winning strategies Chapter 16 Public Policies Chapter 17 Rethinking innovation END NOTES

Stimulating Innovation: Is Canada Pursuing the Right Policies?

Based on a global survey of over 800 innovative firms, a new framework has been developed by the authors to understand innovation. Using the perspective of the innovators to explain the diversity of the strategies behind business innovation, they identified six broad patterns called games of innovation around which innovations are structured. The article points out that this framework raises significant issues about the effectiveness of current Canadian innovation policies. In light of the productivity challenges that Canada faces, which appear to be largely related to innovation, the framework also provides useful insights into future directions for public policies.

The Faces of Innovation

Innovation is a highly diversified phenomena. A survey of innovation strategies in over 1000 firms and research organizations allowed the authors to identify six very different innovation archetypes, each characterized by a basic strategy or innovation game. The games are defined by two dimensions, whether the innovation is incremental or market-creating and whether it is associated with a stand-alone product or with a product that is part of an open or of a closed system. Each of the six games (Eureka!, System breakthrough, Battle of architectures, New and improved, Pushing the envelope, and Mass customization) is characterized by a specific ecosystem. Preliminary findings also suggest that incremental innovations have an economic contribution significantly bigger than market-creating disruptive innovations. At any given time, an industry is dominated by a particular game, although it can change games from time to time. The ability to execute a game and the ability to recognize the salient game are critical competitive skills. From a public policy perspective, the breakdown of innovation into six different games, has significant implications, for the effectiveness of specific policies will differ greatly from one game to another.