http://unweary.com/2008/04/by-example.html

but didn’t apply it to actually changing the organization! I think that it is very true that a tangible symbol of what you are all about is a powerful change agent. Products do that. I think that’s why Jobs calls Apple a Product company.

Companies are looking for innovation, but my core belief is that they are paying for passionate expertise.

So this buzzword ‘innovation’ came along this year and every company that I worked with told us that was what they were looking for. It was mind numbing until I realized that as long as I was passionate about the products, and surrounded myself in the world of them, my expertise would show to the clients and innovations became a given through the iterative design we all practice.

The pessimist in me would suggest that ‘companies’ have become so lazy that they don’t realize that they’ve had to create special word and category that ultimately just means “do your job”, but I’m more positive than that. I see innovation as an opportunity for passionate people in this economic slump.

So to answer your question, “Can you buy innovation?” Yes, you can hire experts who love their jobs, though not always cheap, innovation will come of it.