The Innovation Iteration Grid

A common misconception about innovation is that the innovation process lacks pragmatism. Innovation professionals use soft concepts applied in fuzzy ways with too much emphasis on unproven approaches to solving problems. Perhaps because of the unconventional approaches taken by practitioners of innovation, business executives have generally segregated innovators from main stream operations, recognizing the importance of innovation, but not comfortable with the approach that innovation professionals often employ in getting to their ends. This paper discusses an approach to innovation that has the ability to firmly tie the strategy, mission or vision of the organization to the innovation process. An approach that allows you to take the “Universal Intentions” (mission, vision, goals objectives or strategies) to an iterative process that allows innovation iteration to optimization of a process.