The innovation philosophy: ‘changing ideas’

Aaron C.T. Smith, James Skinner and Daniel Read

Chapter 12 in Philosophies of Organizational Change, 2026, pp 283-305 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 12 describes the innovation philosophy, which arrived as a consequence of rapid changes in globalization, technology and competition. According to the innovation philosophy, the long-term growth of organizations is directly tied to their continual production of new products and services. Organizations embracing the innovation paradigm strive to be flexible, agile, intuitive, imaginative, resilient and creative in order to stimulate new ideas in the face of increasing complexity and turbulence. The chapter notes that innovation demands risk and experimentation as organizations must push through failure by building momentum and speed through new learning. In addition to outlining the process for fast prototyping of new products, the chapter examines user-centric innovation. ‘Design thinking’ helps organizations focus on a user's experience of a new product rather than on the organization's perception of the product's functional utility. However, as with all aspects of the innovation philosophy, success delivers a significant dividend but comes with implementation challenges, and therefore high risk. The chapter considers how hybrid work and artificial intelligence are reshaping innovation practices, and how open innovation ecosystems and responsible design thinking are being used to address sustainability and equity. Innovation is now a strategic capability that must balance speed, experimentation and stakeholder trust.

Keywords: Innovation; Agile; Prototyping; User-Centric; Design Thinking; Hybrid Work; AI; Open Innovation; Sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035372164
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