Whenever I hear or see the word “innovation,” a feeling of nausea washes over me. Unlike other cliché buzzwords (synergy, paradigm shift, value-add, etc.) that I have forced myself to accept, I’m afraid “innovation” is one I may never be able to stomach.
The word is the corporate equivalent of Valleyspeak linguistic fillers such as “like”, “totally”, or “bro.” It is devoid of meaning but used liberally by executives, journalists, and even politicians.
