Mention Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon, and their transformational innovations immediately come to mind. Not surprisingly, they're ranked one-through-four on Fast Company's 2012 "World's Most Innovative Companies" list. All are also on "The 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2012" list put out by MIT's Technology Review except Amazon; it was eliminated in the 11th hour this year for the disappointing reviews of its Kindle Fire, and will undoubtedly be back next year. But these lists can be misleading; the omnipresent public personae of these companies lead us to sometimes forget that innovation starts small, and has simplicity at its core.
With all the news we see daily about their new introductions, profits, stock prices, gigantic new campuses and more, it's easy to forget that all of these companies began life with very poignant and simple missions. Their initial innovations, regardless of the complex algorithms or the fancy programming, adhered to fundamental principles around simplicity of design, use and purpose. Great innovators, and those that tend to sustain innovation, cut through complexity to clear the way for their fervent mission. They have what we should call high Innovation IQ.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Michael Zacka: Keep It Simple to Raise Your Innovation IQ
