Really important topic and interesting article. I’ve witnessed these tensions at first hand. In my experience the tensions are often around the type of innovation (e.g., product and process) that can shape its diffusion, the characteristics of the place in which it is embedded, the degree to which the innovation is seen as defining or whether it is seen as the means to an end, the pace of change, and the resources of the different partners.
The push/pull factors make a lot of sense. In addition to external demands I often see scaling because of an internal “crisis” - sometimes because the operating model is economically unsustainable or because the leaders sense that they could do so much more. These different triggers for change can shape what’s important and can influence decisions of mainstream/alternative and what the leaders envisage as their roles in the new structures.
I think to “scale well” isn’t about holding too tightly to the technical aspects of a specific innovation but whether the process and outcome creates a culture of innovation that significantly changes thinking and behaving towards a social problem.
COMMENTS
BY Christina Kilimanjaro
ON October 9, 2014 06:54 AM
very interesting article, need time to digest the many issues introduced
BY Graham Dover
ON October 9, 2014 02:38 PM
Really important topic and interesting article. I’ve witnessed these tensions at first hand. In my experience the tensions are often around the type of innovation (e.g., product and process) that can shape its diffusion, the characteristics of the place in which it is embedded, the degree to which the innovation is seen as defining or whether it is seen as the means to an end, the pace of change, and the resources of the different partners.
The push/pull factors make a lot of sense. In addition to external demands I often see scaling because of an internal “crisis” - sometimes because the operating model is economically unsustainable or because the leaders sense that they could do so much more. These different triggers for change can shape what’s important and can influence decisions of mainstream/alternative and what the leaders envisage as their roles in the new structures.
I think to “scale well” isn’t about holding too tightly to the technical aspects of a specific innovation but whether the process and outcome creates a culture of innovation that significantly changes thinking and behaving towards a social problem.
Many thanks
Graham