Incremental, radical and game-changing: strategic innovation for sustainability

Purpose – This article was developed to provide a viewpoint for the 10th Annual EABIS Colloquium on Strategic Innovation for Sustainability held at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland on 3-4 July 2012. Design/methodology/approach – The authors present a framework of three practices that must be applied to an ever-increasing degree along the spectrum of strategic innovation for sustainability. Findings – To reap the benefits of innovation for sustainability, businesses need to adapt the type of innovation they aim for to their particular context. Three practices are crucial to the innovation process – i.e. an integrated approach, multiple partnerships and visionary leadership from the top. These practices address two of the main challenges companies face in innovating for sustainability, namely actively engaging with the wider dynamic context in which they operate, and spanning boundaries they are not used to crossing. Practical implications – By analysing the specific context in which a business operates, it is possible to form a better idea of where on the spectrum a particular company may focus its efforts in order to have the greatest chances of success. Social implications – The analyses in this paper contribute to the debate and practical realisation of sustainable development. Originality/value – While many studies distinguish between continuous versus discontinuous change as the two ends on a spectrum, the authors extend the spectrum to include three major points from incremental to radical to game-changing systemic innovation for sustainability. The three critical practices must be applied to an ever-increasing degree along the spectrum.