What is Innovation?

Defining Innovation

Andrew Greenstein, CEO of SF AppWorks, discusses the multifaceted nature of innovation. He explains that every organization has its own version of what innovation means, often shaped by their unique processes and goals. For instance, West Elm's innovation team focuses on rapid prototyping and testing digital products, while AB InBev invites employees to apply for a startup incubator.

We realized that everyone, every organization has its own version of what innovation is.

--- Andrew Greenstein

Andrew's firm helps companies build innovation infrastructures to integrate these diverse approaches effectively. 1

   

Innovation Processes

Andrew elaborates on the importance of rapid prototyping in innovation. He contrasts traditional, slow development methods with a more agile approach that prioritizes quick testing and iteration. This method allows teams to gather user feedback early and often, leading to more effective solutions.

We built a version, or several different versions with several different flows that we could test out.

--- Andrew Greenstein

He also discusses the phases of product development—explore, expand, and extract—emphasizing the need for different teams and strategies at each stage. 2 3