After doing the pre-reading, one thing that is clear is that businesses have not agreed on a set standard for measuring innovation. One definition that personally resonated with me was the explanation given by Jeffrey Baumgartner. According to Baumgartner, innovation is “the implementation of creative ideas in order to generate value, usually through increased revenues, reduced costs or both”. I like this definition because it treats innovation as an active, on-going process. Coming up with an idea by itself does not entail innovation because it produces no change for the company or its stakeholders. An idea unactualized will stay in the realm of impossibility unless tested and applied to the process it is meant to improve. Innovation is a commitment is an idea, and moving forward with the intention to manifest that idea to a point of relevancy and usage in the real world. What is innovation without a purpose and a result? Baumgartner covered this by adding to his definition that innovation is something that generates value. It is my thinking that organizations should function to produce new, better opportunities for its stakeholders. As mentioned in the article, “Innovation is a Discipline, Not a Cliche”, innovation should be measured by its (positive) impact, and it should improve the standard already in place. Improved efficiency, sustainability, and revenue are examples of successful, innovative processes. Having a good idea is just a mere first stop on the long road to innovation.