Types of Innovation

Abstract

Innovation is a charming topic nowadays, nonetheless a widely discussed one. It is generally defined as the process of converting new ideas and inventions into practical products or services that generate value for consumers. However, the process of innovation always starts with creativity. In this way, innovation is presented as a proper person’s characteristic. All the most frequently used innovation’s instruments of analysis, unfortunately, lack a critical characteristic: they are not provided with the sensibility necessary to examine and inspect individuals. Considering a stereotyped idea of innovation and not able to catch the multitude of nuances that human psychological traits can add to the innovation process, those tools must at least be coupled with instruments necessary for the analysis of individuals proposed by psychology. For this reason, the main tool of analysis considered for the thesis project is the MBTI (Myer-Briggs Types Indicator) test. Following this direction, a group of key employees of ABB Hitachi Power Grids (Comem operating unit) has been interviewed; to do so, a MBTI test and a questionnaire on the perceived level of innovation of the company have been applied. The two tools are somehow complementary, since one relates to innovation as a person’s characteristic and the other to the practical innovation level of the company. The aim of the project is to effectively determine the group’s degree of innovation and to eventually improve it, both at personal and at practical/technological level.