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If you need to write a business speech and you want to sound intelligent and trendy, yet want to keep your speech vague enough to leave all options open in the end, do use the word 'innovation' a couple of times. And add the adjective 'durable', for even more applause. In his opening speech to the Flemish Government in september, Minister President Peeters used the word innovation at least at seven distinct occasions. That fact was even mentioned in the television news the same evening. Technology innovators and many technical R&D people must have been listening with passion to these words, since they provide them with the perfect excuse for asking more budget for technology innovation.

On the other hand though, technology innovators should also read "Blue Ocean" from Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne about business strategy. These Insead professors state a company should strive towards value innovation rather than technology innovation. Technology innovation is a mere enabler of value creation, they say. It might add a little bit of value to an existing offering (or even destroys value when technology is added that increases complexity, yet adds no user perceived value). Technology innovation might help a company compete in classic red oceans of fierce competition, but technology on its own will not help a company become really succesful. That is why you need value innovation. This concept departs from the client's value perception to discover new ways to assemble an offering -- using existing technologies, tools and services -- and create a totally new blue ocean market without competition.