Reinventing Innovation

This book examines the capabilities organizations need in order to meet the dual mandate of current and future performance. It develops a theoretical framework for dual organizing, which emphasizes the escalation of both explore and exploit ventures simultaneously in order to sustain a productive tension where complexity coexists with control. Unlike other approaches to innovation, which propose independent innovation programs and processes, or recommend a balance between predictable maintenance and risky innovation, Reinventing Innovation advocates for more of both. In the resulting tension, opportunities emerge for organizations to assimilate ambiguity, while still sustaining an orderly return on current strengths. This work offers a theoretical, empirical, and practical background for students, managers and leaders seeking to improve their responses to the universal problem of innovating for the future without inhibiting the present.