Making sense of innovation

The aim of the study was to make sense of what is meant when the word Innovation is used, as reflected upon by a number of academics working in the field. The hypothesis was that there are general broadly shared components that make up this concept while there are others that are less widespread and can be regarded as collateral, but which are fundamental for the final results of the innovative processes. The work was undertaken on the occasion of an Italian Conference on innovation. Fifty-two papers were presented and a random sample was taken of 50% of the authors. These were asked to indicate the first 5 words that best described the concept of innovation from their own point of view. The replies collected were 23, or 88% of the total sample. The words were drawn up together into a list of 69 different words. The frequency of the words was then counted and an innovation cloud was constructed that showed their distribution in the minds of these researchers. The word list was subsequently analysed, with comments made on certain aspects. The terms collected from the sample were then arranged in conceptual categories so as to render them utilisable also from a managerial perspective. The associations revealed have a specific value. They not only offer a better understanding of innovation phenomenon but also potentially in operative terms. This because there is possible utility for management wishing to act on the so-called “first words” on the basis of company innovation processes rather than simply trusting to the better-known conceptual guides generally available in the field of innovation.