A definition of innovation that fits

Innovation is a buzzword in business. It shows up in the pages of scholarly journals, popular magazines, and international reports; and in advertisements and marketing slogans. But the "innovate or die" message is beginning to spread beyond business. A new breed of social entrepreneur embrace and encourage innovation as a strategy for building a better world.

A noteworthy example is the Boston Foundation's fourth biennial report of the Boston Indicators Project covering the years 2004-2006. It includes a section called The Hub of Innovation. It lists breakthrough products, programs, and practices in ten different sectors: Civic Vitality, Cultural Life and the Arts, the Economy, Education, the Environment, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Technology, and Transportation.

This definition of innovation deliberately integrates diverse perspectives. It draws ideas from the worlds of business, community development, environmental action, education, and social entrepreneurship. It assumes that innovation needs to be seen as a core component of a region's growth strategy.

True innovation can be identified by both the process and the results, so we define it this way: Innovation means the process of thinking and acting creatively to solve an identified problem with the outcome being a new process or product that acts as a catalyst for new cycles of development. Thus, innovation inspires more action—not simply more ideas, but more innovative approaches to putting ideas to use. Innovation thus increases potential and opportunity, and sparks new cycles of thinking—revolutionizing how we learn, how we live, and how we work.