For Innovations That Have no Precedent in Human History It's Time to Ask Disruptive Questions

This series of back-page columns in Performance Improvement Journal has been devoted to innovation in products and services. Simply defined “innovation is something different that has impact” (Anthony, 2010). Through these columns we have attempted to raise thought-provoking questions from the perspective of performance improvement and at many times to (re)direct our focus on research and practice in the field of performance improvement.

Innovation in process or product occurs when performance improvement (PI) is at its best. Innovation is akin to a PI laboratory where innovators, scientists, developers, and engineers study the impact and reach of their creations and their interaction with users (society) and the environment, and where feedback propels these creators to create more to make our lives simpler, healthier, faster, more connected, and more efficient.

In absolute terms (in billion PPP1 dollars) the top five countries where significant research and development investments have been made are the United States (511), China (452), Japan (166), Germany (119), and the Republic of Korea (78) (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2018). Although return on investment (ROI) has declined by 27% during the past five years, almost one-third of the businesses surveyed are expected to increase their investments in innovations by more than 50% over the next five years (Ross, 2019).