What are the basic foundations of innovation?

Let's attempt to take a new (how about innovative) view of the current state of innovation by observing the scene from 30,000-feet (9144-meters) to see if we can distinguish what is basic and common to the various discussions and concepts of innovation itself. Following are representative of what we commonly see.

Innovation is:

• "...creative ideas, new thing or method"
• "...the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services"
• "...a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline", " the best process & product improvement ideas"
• "...new combinations of means and/or ends, which are new for a creating and/or adopting unit, are developed and/or produced and/or implemented and/or transferred to old and/or new market-partners"
• "...incremental, radical, and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations"
• "...being or producing something like nothing done or experienced or created before"
• "...ahead of current thinking"
• "...the process of converting knowledge and ideas into better ways of doing business or into new or improved products and services that are valued by the community"

These are interesting, but somewhat poetic descriptions of innovation. They describe more an effect than a process or foundation. So, when we cast away the veneers that describe innovation in promotional, poetic or (many times) tautological terms we can then discover what's left that can quite arguably be considered basic... and they are:

• A corporeal entity - 'cognizant people',
• A cerebral entity - 'perceived uniqueness'
• A social entity - 'directed organization'