It happens all the time with smaller companies. It could be that they can’t afford to stay afloat amid larger companies with deeper pockets. But when we see the big companies fail, we sit up and take notice.
Just think. In recent history, Kodak, one of the largest, most influential companies in U.S. history, was left with no other choice but bankruptcy in 2012. The industry it had led for the better part of the 20th century gave way to bits, bytes, and cheap home printers.
Digital had taken over, and Kodak could only blame itself. The company actually pioneered the first digital camera in 1975. It had developed the technology, but didn’t have the forethought to innovate.
In a similar vein, consider Research in Motion, creators of the BlackBerry smartphone. At the height of its market share, competitors launched more intuitive devices, and RIM—a technological powerhouse—refused to innovate. The company put too much faith in thinking it could hold on to the business segment.
There are important distinctions between technology and innovation. Technology alone does not move anything forward. It must be used as an avenue for innovation.
Innovation is the conversation, the sharing of ideas that improves on something. Technology is simply the phone line connecting the two ends of the call.
We place a lot of importance on the role that technology plays in our lives—both business and personal. But does the message really get across? If not, all of the technology in the world can’t enact change to make anything better.
On the other hand, sometimes, just a little bit of innovation can have revolutionary effects. Consider the patriarch of the U.S. automotive industry, Henry Ford. An abnormally high percentage of people, when asked, will reply that Henry Ford invented the automobile.
He didn’t, by the way. What Ford did was take the old way of producing and automobile and improve upon it… made it better. In doing so, he revolutionized automobile ownership, paving the way for what it is today.
By now, you’ve noticed our changes here at Wind Systems. Among those changes, you’ll notice that we’ve changed the name of one of our sections altogether. We’ve taken “Technology” out, instead giving it the name it always deserved… “Innovation.”
After all, aren’t we really interested in the conversations that make things better? The phone line is just a wire until somebody starts talking.
Thanks for reading!
