Is Innovation the Most Abused Word In Business?

dcblogs writes "Most of what is called innovation today is mere distraction, according to a paper by economist Robert Gordon, written for the National Bureau of Economic Research. Real innovations involve things like the combustion engine or air conditioning, not the smartphone. The paper includes thought experiments to help you gain more respect for genuine innovations such as indoor plumbing. The Financial Times has posted the complete 25-page paper.(pdf)"

Comments

Re:Abused, yes. Most abused, probably not.

[Hognoxious]

I find it funny, I got an MBA degree, there was a strong effort in making sure we don't use buzz words, but to actually understand what they mean, then not to use them.

Pity they didn't teach you not to use comma splices and to randomly capitalize words for no apparent reason.

For Example Synergy Is an aspect when people working in a team or a group produce more then the sum of each person. The Non-MBA takes this as meaning working well in a team

No, the non-literate might.

Since when does an MBA teach correct English? It certainly doesn't at whatever institution you attended.