14 Ways to Describe 3 Levels of Innovation

by Yann Cramer

From continuous improvement, through the development of next generation, to the creation of a new family, there are typically three different levels of innovation, that can be described in many ways depending on what aspect of innovation you want to emphasize. Here are 14 ways.

Please add to the list!

Description	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
By degree of change	Marginal	Incremental	Radical
By scale of newness	New version	New product	New category
By business objective	Defend	Grow	Transform
By McKinsey	Horizon 1	Horizon 2	Horizon 3
By impact on capabilities	Sustain	Stretch	Disrupt
By medieval metaphor	Shield	Sword	Spear
By nature of uncertainty	Distribution curve	Fail or succeed probability	Unknown unknown
By most critical question	How (is it better?)	What (is the new proposition?)	Where (might we find new territories?)
By most critical success factor	Execution	Design	Exploration
By business case	Pay-back time	NPV (Net Present Value)	Story
By ancient Olympics	Stronger	Faster	Higher
By Nintendo	any new version	DS	Wii
By Apple	MacBook	iPad	iPod/iTunes
by car engine	any new combustion engine	Hybrid	Electric

What other ways can you add to the list?

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Yann Cramer is an innovation learner, practitioner, sharer, teacher. He’s lived in France, Belgium and the UK, he’s travelled six continents to create development opportunities with customers or suppliers, and run workshops on R&D and Marketing. He writes on www.innovToday.com and on twitter @innovToday.