Try adjacent moves for faster innovation.
Company A: Takes a slight horizontal stretch into a new category.
Company B: Turns the market on its head.
There’s a lot of ground between A and B.
But don’t discount the value in a single small shift (or a series of them).
Sure, the bold strikes are exhilarating, and the stories we read about the movers and shakers making them are seductive.
We’re conditioned to think innovation is one-size-only, and it’s XXL.
Yet in reality, adjacent moves to serve new categories or consumers that are just a slight extension on your current business are a smart play. They’re often faster and easier to execute.
And the sum of the right small moves can shift you from A to B.
The middle ground doesn’t have to be refrains of “Are we there yet??”
There’s rich potential to be tapped in transition.