The Four Lenses of Innovation: A Power Tool for Creative Thinking

Matching what is possible with what is needed

For most of the last century, corporate innovation was driven primarily from the technology side rather than the customer side. That is to say, in most large organizations it tended to start with technical R&D and engineering rather than with deep insights into customer needs. This approach worked well in an economic era when there was more demand than supply, when consumers had few options and were happy to stand in line for whatever products and services they could get. But in today’s value-based economy, where global competition and overcapacity have given the consumer more choices and more power than ever before, a large number of companies from all over the world are now competing for the same customer’s money. Success has therefore come to depend on an organization’s ability to bring exciting and compelling new benefits to customers—or address their unmet needs—before the competition.

Nobody of course would argue against the need for cutting-edge technological research, and thankfully scientists in every corner of the globe continue to amaze us with new breakthrough discoveries. But what makes the difference today is how quickly, effectively, and differently companies can leverage these technologies to radically improve the customer experience. In many cases, it’s still the technology that comes first and the consumer application second, which can nevertheless work out just fine. But increasingly companies are starting from the ...