Businesses constantly strive to gain competitive advantage through "innovation". However, is innovation a legitimate business strategy or a misguided and often misunderstood buzz-word? Is it really possible to innovate within a large organisation to a budget and deadline, or is corporate innovation a myth. Can innovation be planned or is it something that grows organically from a particular mind set and way of working? The myth of innovation is seductive. However, it can often take effort and resources away from the less sexy but more productive task of finessing existing ideas. As industries strive to create new products, are we forgetting that some of the best selling and most iconic designs are actually incremental improvements to existing products? In this session Andy will argue that innovations isn't just a bad strategy; it's no strategy at all. Instead of crossing our fingers and betting the farm on a sudden and uncontrollable burst of luck, we need to be sensitive to the world around us and focus on solving immediate problems in a more intelligent way.

1. The Cult of...
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkpublic/3042791963/sizes/o/

2. In love with the idea of innovaGon
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/brandoncwarren/4164759025/sizes/o/

3. The bedroom inventor toiling away
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousexpediGons/514941937/sizes/o/

4. We look up to innovators
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/nobihaya/1746276415/sizes/o/in/set-­‐72157602694497490/

5. InnovaGon saves businesses
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/artysmokes/3566452847/sizes/o/

6. InnovaGon makes people rich
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/fredvdd/352780093/sizes/o/

7. InnovaGon will save
us from environmental catastrophe
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/jadeb/295237142/sizes/o/

8. Humans are lazy
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/gregpye/2600693535/sizes/o/

9. Companies pursue a strategy
of innovaGon
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousexpediGons/514941937/sizes/o/

10. And result in
“The Office of the Future”

11. InnovaGon isn’t a strategy
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/jstove/4393146671/sizes/l/

12. Underpants gnomes
innovate
?
Make money
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/jp_reyes/3208760018/sizes/l/

13. Companies are terrible at innovaGng
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/louisabate/4263843659/sizes/o/

14. Even Google struggles to innovate
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2198366809/sizes/o/
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/mindscape/168397120/sizes/o/

15. RouGne gets in the way
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2198366809/sizes/o/
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/mindscape/168397120/sizes/o/

16. Difficult to innovate to a deadline
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2198366809/sizes/o/
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/bitzi/265052661/sizes/o/

17. Companies sGll persist with this myth

18. The true face of innovaGon

19. True innovaGon happens here
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/jeanbapGsteparis/3436614852/sizes/o/
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2198366809/sizes/o/

20. What about companies like Apple?
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/shio/541563057/sizes/o/in/set-­‐72157600340697465/

21. The iPod wasn’t the first
MP3 player
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/sshb/3472382669/sizes/l/

22. The iPhone wasn't the first
touch screen phone
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/bacish/383491195/sizes/o/

23. Dyson didn’t create the first
bag-­‐less vacuum
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/agenturblog/3152756887/sizes/o/

24. Windows wasn’t the first GUI
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/bacish/383491195/sizes/o/

25. Successful products are rarely
the result of innovaGon
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/agenturblog/3152756887/sizes/o/

26. People don’t want innovaGon
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/lyza/276990225/sizes/o/

27. they come through constant reinvenGon
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/shio/541563057/sizes/o/in/set-­‐72157600340697465/

28. WaiGng for the technology to mature,
then doing something useful with it
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/paulm/1584418819/sizes/o/

29. InnovaGon is a facilitator
It’s the power of design which adds value
h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/paulm/1584418819/sizes/o/

30. @clearleg
@andybudd
@dconstruct