Unleash the unexpected for radical innovation: breakthrough inventions arise unpredictably : better exploration can identify surprising opportunities

Abstract

Research shows that innovators have a poor track record of predicting which of their own ideas will result in breakthroughs. But some ideas that appear to be incremental at first eventually prove to be blockbusters. Carrying more ideas through to incubation gives both the company and the broader market a chance to learn more about them and for unanticipated use cases to emerge.