Innovation is directly proportional to perceived uniqueness.

What is uniqueness? It is distinctiveness, dissimilarity, difference or change between things that once were and what they are now... or it is a new, never before thing that comes into existence. This uniqueness is conspicuous change; that is, it's a difference that catches the eye of a beholder. It's not just a "lighter shade of pale".

But, how are these conspicuous changes generated? Do they really exist or are they just perceived? And, is a change real if not perceived by a beholder? Does it even make a difference? We'll leave the latter questions to the philosophers. The point being, when uniqueness is perceived, whether it's real or not, the beholder decides to take some kind of action with it.

A credible way to move from a philosophical point-of-view to a practical point-of-view of how perceived uniqueness (conspicuous change) comes forth was presented in 1985 by Peter Drucker. Drucker, widely considered to be the father of "modern management"², researched the history of, and humanistic connections with, innovation in his very cogent book, Innovation and Entrepreneurship³.

"Systematic innovation therefore consists in the purposeful and organized search for changes, and in the systematic analysis of the opportunities and such changes might offer for economic or social innovation."

Where:

"Systematic innovation means monitoring seven sources for innovative opportunity."

Drucker's seven sources of innovation are quite basic and fit well with our viewpoint of perceived uniqueness. Drucker's innovation is produced by:

Changes within a business, industry and market...

1. The unexpected - success (seldom recognized) or failure (most always recognized) within a business or industry or an outside event beyond a business' or industry's purview
2. The incongruity - a dissonance between actual reality and presumed or 'ought to be' reality
3. Process need - mechanisms of execution, e.g., management, use of capital, orders and fulfillment, corporate policies, distribution, etc.
4. Changes in industry or market structure - merging of technologies, growth changes, legal, harmonization of international standards, compliance, investment, etc.

...and changes within the social, philosophical, political and intellectual environment:

5. Demographics - change over time, between locations, by age, etc.
6. Perception - "facts do not change... mood and meaning do"
7. New knowledge - all kinds, not just scientific and technical knowledge - "the Superstar of innovation"