Recently, more and more often you can hear the concept of “innovation”, which means any changes, innovations and is used both independently and together with such words as activity, process, decisions, etc. What is it and how much is necessary ?
Society is designed in such a way that it is in constant development. Needs are changing, the content of human activities is changing ... Accordingly, the changes concern almost all spheres of life. In almost any book on economics, one can find the opinion that innovation is the transformation of possible scientific and technological progress into real, which is embodied, in turn, in new production products or technologies. This contributes to the development of not only a certain process, but also of humanity as a whole.
Types of innovations are distinguished depending on various characteristics. For example, in scale they are local and global. Focusing on technological parameters, they are divided into process and product. Depending on the depth of the changes, radical, improving and modifying ones are noted. By the degree of novelty, such types of innovations are distinguished as new for this industry in the world, in the country, for an individual enterprise.
Depending on the place, it is necessary to note the changes “at the entrance”, that is, in the choice of information, raw materials, materials, etc. This may affect the quality of the goods or services produced. In addition, there are innovations “on the way out”, that is, those that directly affect the result of the work (services, technologies, information, etc.). If we talk about changes in the enterprise, then they can relate to the system structure, managerial, technological or industrial.
Also highlight innovations taking into account the type of activity. According to this criterion, the types of innovations can be the following: social, managerial, technological, industrial, economic, etc. So, at present, in educational institutions, in connection with the introduction of the new FSES, teachers are increasingly introducing innovative activities into their work, including in itself new forms, means, methods. This refers to social change.
There are many classifications, one of them was proposed by A. I. Prigogine, and it is based on five main criteria. So, from the point of view of prevalence, single (that is, done once) and diffuse (periodically applied) types of innovations are distinguished. If we talk about the place of changes in the production cycle, then they can be raw, food and providing (in other words, linking).
From the point of view of continuity, innovations can be replacing, recurring, opening, abrogating, retro introductions. The name of each of these species itself indicates what changes are meant. Given the expected market share coverage , they can be local, strategic, or systemic. If such a criterion for classification as potential and degree of novelty is taken, such types of innovations as combinatorial, radical and improving can be distinguished. As the names show, each of them has its own purpose and focus.
Changes at any time pushed society towards development. And it doesn’t matter if they are something completely unknown or old technique, which again became relevant for some reason. The use of new materials and technologies leads to the appearance of improved goods and services. Innovation in production or the social sphere is always in demand and is most often economically justified. Innovations can be manifested both in a slight and outwardly inconspicuous change, and in expanding the range of products offered.