Measuring Innovation Beyond Patents
- What are some scenarios in which having more patents would not be a good indicator of an innovation culture?,
- Discuss the ability, and limitations, of metrics such as the ones in the table and business intelligence (BI) to measure the ability of an organization to innovate or support employee creativity.
While patents are often associated with innovation, there are several scenarios where a high number of patents may not accurately reflect a strong innovation culture:
Patent Hoarding Without Utilization – Some companies file numerous patents to build a defensive portfolio or block competitors rather than fostering meaningful innovation.
Quantity Over Quality – A company may prioritize filing many incremental or trivial patents rather than groundbreaking innovations.
Legal and Bureaucratic Focus – In some industries, patents are used primarily for legal leverage, leading to a focus on intellectual property (IP) protection over true creative problem-solving.
Lack of Commercialization – Patents that do not lead to viable products or market applications indicate a disconnect between research and real-world impact
Evaluating Innovation Using Business Metrics and BI Tools
Organizations often use metrics and business intelligence (BI) tools to assess their innovation culture, but these methods have both strengths and limitations…
While patents are often associated with innovation, there are several scenarios where a high number of patents may not accurately reflect a strong innovation culture:
Patent Hoarding Without Utilization – Some companies file numerous patents to build a defensive portfolio or block competitors rather than fostering meaningful innovation.
Quantity Over Quality – A company may prioritize filing many incremental or trivial patents rather than groundbreaking innovations.
Legal and Bureaucratic Focus – In some industries, patents are used primarily for legal leverage, leading to a focus on intellectual property (IP) protection over true creative problem-solving.
Lack of Commercialization – Patents that do not lead to viable products or market applications indicate a disconnect between research and real-world impact
Evaluating Innovation Using Business Metrics and BI Tools
Organizations often use metrics and business intelligence (BI) tools to assess their innovation culture, but these methods have both strengths and limitations…
