Innovation Comes of Age

Innovation is frequently advocated as the premier pathway for progress. However, it is not the only tactic available. Agility is also a significant driver of organisational change. This paper investigates two cases to examine how action was taken to mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. One pressing need was to construct a specialist emergency hospital and another to develop an effective vaccine for Covid 19. The relative significance of innovation and agility varied greatly but, in both cases, there was a beneficial symbiotic relationship between these intertwined practices of action.

It can be concluded that innovation alone could neither have delivered the emergency hospital nor could it have provided an effective vaccine. The story ends with a hope that agility and innovation will recognise that they can be like partners in a good marriage, with each gaining from the other’s distinctive capabilities. By recognising its true strengths, interdependencies and limitations, we can conclude that ‘innovation has come of age’.