OR as innovation

In an increasingly turbulent and competitive environment, it is something of a cliché to suggest that organizations need to become more adaptable and innovative if they are to succeed in the future. Product innovation is an obvious aspect of this requirement, but often just as important is innovation in organizational processes, which give rise to greater efficiency, cost savings, or the freeing of scarce resources to deploy on a broader range of activities. These innovations need not be of a large-scale, radical kind. Various researchers have pointed out the significant contribution to commercial success of small incremental innovations in both products and processes.