In this episode of The Puzzle, Isaak and Bruno tackle a pointed question that divides people in two camps: is every invention also an innovation? Are these two notions the one and the same?

Innovation is not just about coming up with something new in a vacuum; rather, it’s often the result of building upon existing ideas and applying them to a different context. Isaac, an engineer-turned-business-consultant, argues that innovation can be a soft, iterative process that involves combining existing concepts and iterating on them until they create value for users or customers. He emphasizes that what matters most is whether something delivers value, rather than whether it’s novel or groundbreaking. Bruno chimes in to highlight the importance of embedding innovation processes within an organization, as opposed to treating them as separate entities. They discuss how industries have their own preferred language and buzzwords around innovation, with some preferring “invention” while others use “innovation.”

The conversation touches on the idea that there’s not always a clear distinction between invention and innovation, with many innovations being built upon existing ideas or processes. Isaac also notes that innovation is not always binary, pointing out that recombining existing concepts to create value can be just as innovative as coming up with something entirely new. The discussion concludes by touching on the idea that differentiation, which may involve small tweaks or improvements, can still be an important aspect of innovation and positioning a product in the market.