“We must give meaning to innovation again”
Signed by Javier de Miguel, Ecosystem Director of PATIO Innovation & Startup Campus
In recent years, the word innovation has flooded the business sector, especially in those new businesses and entrepreneurs who eagerly see the need to change and adapt to achieve new paths of growth and/or livelihood. But what is innovation? How can we innovate if we are continuously focused on this task? Is innovation the only way to grow or is it the one that gives new businesses the greatest positioning?
The truth is that innovation isn't always the best option. The tensions it generates and the dust it raises can lead the organization to a frankly damaging process. While it is true that value propositions are dynamic and have an expiration date, it is also true that the necessary conditions are not always met nor are there the right incentives to address them. Accepting that the context in which innovation operates is crucial is key to not plunging into a spiral in which to invest time, resources and enthusiasm without the possibility of getting anywhere. Come on, avoid unnecessary frustration and tension. Maturity is needed to accept that even if there are incremental innovations in order to generate a Game Changer, it is necessary to go hungry. Of experiencing difficulties or of going against nature when the company is in a period of stability, if stability continues to exist today with this level of uncertainty and such short cycles of change.
In recent years, the story has led us to focus the focus of innovation on startups. There are multiple open innovation vehicles presented as a relationship framework in which they see it as a way to grow rapidly and establish synergies with larger companies to access a larger market size, distribution channels, resources, etc... However, although this relational framework of innovation was a breath of fresh air for entrepreneurs and corporations, it can end up collapsing the system, since there are so many open calls and competitions to which startups submit their solutions that there is a real risk of cannibalization of the ecosystem itself. One too atomized not to affect the agents themselves.
So have we lost the meaning of the word innovation? Are we clear about what relational model we need to achieve our objectives? Do we know who we have to surround ourselves with to provide a context that allows us to do so? Everything suggests that we must rethink from where we want to relate, who we should be accompanied by and where the context that can favor what we hope will happen can happen. According to the report of the Madri+d Knowledge Foundation, Spain is one of the most enthusiastic countries with open innovation, highlighting aspects such as the high number of companies with a unit dedicated to open innovation or interest in cybersecurity. In fact, in the Community of Madrid alone, 52% of 172 entities that support startups work in open innovation. This means that more than half of the entities that work to promote the work of startups are constantly looking for new ideas and projects with a focus on innovation, often neglecting the growth of their ventures through other channels. The fact is that more and more companies are joining in opening open innovation processes under the umbrella of helping entrepreneurs, but the reality is that these processes do not always come with the right mentality and the right incentives. Therefore, due to the issue of size and muscle, startups may be in a vulnerable position when faced with a call. This makes us even more responsible for what we promise and we are willing to do so that they can show off their solutions and give them the opportunity to prosper.
At this point, is open innovation a malpractice or is it sufficient to address certain business problems? Will that inexhaustible source of solutions ever end? The problem itself is not open innovation, but rather misunderstood open innovation, conceived as an internal but outsourced process of companies. Hence, understanding the relational model we need depending on what we need, how we need it and where we need it is key. The nature of the problem determines the typology of the solution. Taking this into account is essential so as not to enter into certain “as if” or “leaves” that the innovation industry has entered. Let's avoid the theater, the events and the countless calls in which many startups enroll and languish in the face of the unfulfilled promise with which they were captured,
Let's recover the sense of innovation, let's be aware of the models we need to deploy and let's look at the counterpart with the eyes of those who embark on a risky adventure not without turbulence, tension and uncertainties.
