Processes that will be affected include storage and circulation systems for liquids and gases, heating and cooling systems, and supply systems such as those used for the distillation of drinking water. The International Space Station will make it possible to do the long-term tests needed to design and build reliable systems, he said. Twenty years of microgravity research has begun to provide answers, but much more must be done. Highly touted principles that work in managing incremental improvement won't produce radically new products and services. Listening to customers can improve current products but rarely generates ideas for radically new products.
Radical innovation is risky, takes time, and drains resources.
Senior management must be committed to making it happen. Traditional market analysis doesn't work with radical innovation. Don't try to predict sales figures. Look at how the innovation will affect people, products, and the way things are done.