ASK THE EXPERT
STEPHEN SHAPIRO
BY MAE MAÑACAP-JOHNSON
With innovate the theme at the recently concluded 2016 ISPA
Conference & Expo, Pulse continues the conversation about this
highly talked-about topic with STEPHEN SHAPIRO, author of 24/7
Innovation, The Little Book of Big Innovation Ideas and Best
Practices Are Stupid. The innovations expert and speaker defines
innovation as “purposeful change.”
“Innovation is not about new products, services, or even business
models. It is about adaptability; an organization’s ability to change
repeatedly and rapidly,” he says. In this Ask the Expert
feature, Shapiro advises companies to
“innovate where they differentiate” and
cautions about falling into the trap of
exclusively sticking to best practices. Find
out why.
Pulse: What are some of the
most common misconceptions about innovation?
Stephen Shapiro:
Innovation and creativity are
not the same thing. Creativity
is about ideas and novelty.
Innovation is an end-to-end process that
starts with an issue, opportunity or need,
and ends with the creation of value. I
believe that creativity has killed innovation
in many organizations. It has generated
too much noise and wasted energy.
P: One of the steps you proposed in
order to get innovation right is to
“innovate where you differentiate.” Can
you elaborate on this concept?
S: There is a belief among some that we
should be working on every aspect of the
business. But this dissipates energies and
yields a low return. Instead, you want to invest
in your differentiator. What sets you apart from the competition?
What makes you special? What makes you unique? Why do
customers do business with you? Innovation should be focused
on these areas. You can’t be the best at everything, so don’t
innovate on everything. Only innovate where you dif