Efficiency enables innovation

When an activity becomes standardised and efficient, it forms a dependable building block. These commodity components allow new, more complex systems to be assembled quickly and at lower cost. Improvements within the component are largely hidden behind its interface, but the ripple effects are felt in the speed and variety of what can be built on top.

From electricity grids to cloud computing, each wave of industrialisation has sparked fresh waves of creativity. A world of interchangeable parts frees organisations to focus on higher order ideas rather than reinventing the basics.

🔀 Related Strategies

• Open Approaches – trigger: once a component becomes efficient, opening it up can drive further innovation.