It happens not very often, but every now and then I stumble upon an article that is pretty much complete bullshit. Usually, you discover at least something valuable in an article. Not this time.
In his piece “Why innovation eats strategy for breakfast”, Josh Linkner argues that…well, that innovation beats strategy, because innovation changes the game while strategy only optimizes “current resources and conventional wisdom”.
I couldn’t agree less.
Innovation is changing the game, yes. And obviously a change in the game sometimes calls for an adjustment of strategy. But innovation doesn’t happen out of the blue. Innovation happens when you combine existing resources and conventional wisdom into something new. Wait, that sounds a lot like Linkner’s very own definition of strategy. Which doesn’t make too much sense to me neither.
Strategy is not just combining existing resources and conventional wisdom. There is more about it. It is, among other things, about “shaping the future” (Max McKeown). More on that can be found on Wikipedia for a start.
Ultimately, innovation is the result of strategy. If innovation eats strategy for breakfast, then only because it has to fuel on it in order to prosper and survive. Because we all know: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
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