How we can Innovate Better

Real innovation is becoming scarce day by day. It is being replaced by fund-raising celebrations. There is no dearth of problems or issues to be tackled; instead, most startups spend a large portion of funds on rebranding, marketing, and serving unsustainable claims.

- Anand Tamboli

One of the perennial questions I have been asking every startup I consulted in the past ten years is, “What is new in this product or business model?” But most of them— rather all of them—usually come up with one standard answer, which is, “It works in Silicon Valley.”

And that is one of the biggest issues in our innovation and entrepreneurship system. It suffers because it relies too much on Western business models and ideologies. But while it relies on those models and ideologies, it lacks the thought process, infrastructure, and, most importantly, the spirit in which everything is done.

So, what is the real problem here? Why can’t we think independently and innovate better? I can think of at least three key issues. The good news is that if we can identify those issues, we can also fix them. 

Issue # 1: The definition of innovation

The word disruption has been widely used and abused in the context of innovation. But why do we have to be disruptive when being constructive is better? The definition of innovation can sometimes be rather too broad. However, if you were to look at it from the customers’ perspective, innovation is something that improves their condition.

Innovation is something that improves the human condition.

This means thousands of innovations that micro, small, and medium companies deploy regularly are equally valid and sometimes more important.