Innovation is good, fitness is better

Abstract

Purpose

Academic journals and the popular business press are filled with articles praising innovation. But innovation is not enough. This paper proposes a higher purpose – that survival of our business systems relies on achieving a new level of fitness – and aims to suggest that design thinking is one of the keys to becoming more fit.

Design/methodology/approach

Ever since Darwin argued “survival of the fittest,” social scientists have worked to determine winners and losers in a wide range of complex systems. The paper asserts that there is value in applying the concept to the survival of business systems and provides examples of how successful companies have worked to overcome inertia and reinvent portions of their business model.

Findings

The paper finds that dominant systems have a hard time accepting the need for change, even though the very attributes that made them successful now threaten to drag down their long‐term fitness. Design thinking is a framework that provides the opportunity to study all aspects of complex issues, and instead of driving for simplicity, design thinking requires that we embrace the richness that complexity provides.

Originality/value

By considering the need to move beyond innovation, the paper provides insight into the critical thinking needed to drive for a higher level of fitness in a business system and offers a brief look at the model used by one industry‐leading company.

Citation

Hackett, J.P. (2009), "Innovation is good, fitness is better", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 30 No. 2/3, pp. 85-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/02756660910942508