Innovation a word we all use and none of us define

A few years back, I was in a room with decision-makers and senior stakeholders from across multiple ministries. We had gathered as part of Oman's Innovation 2040 agenda to discuss priorities. The energy was serious. The intent was genuine.
But as the conversation unfolded, something quietly troubled me.
One leader said we needed to invest in innovative solutions. Another agreed — and began talking about artificial intelligence. A third nodded, then steered toward new technology systems. And a fourth, equally passionate, was speaking about something else entirely: being more creative in solving everyday operational problems.
Nobody disagreed. The room felt aligned. It wasn't.
Each person was talking about innovation — and each one meant something completely different. No one paused to ask the most important question of all: what exactly are we talking about when we say that word?
This is not a rare scene. Across Oman's government entities and private sector boardrooms, innovation has become one of those words we all use and none of us define. It sits comfortably in vision documents and strategic plans — precisely because it means everything, which is another way of saying it means nothing.
And this is not a small problem. It is a foundational one.
ISO 56002, the international standard for innovation management, defines innovation as 'a new or changed entity realising or redistributing value.' Simple, precise and broad enough to cover all forms. But even within that definition, innovation is not one thing. Leaders need to distinguish between at least three types.
There is incremental innovation — improving existing processes, doing what we already do better, faster, cheaper. Then there is disruptive innovation — challenging how an entire sector operates, the way digital payments reshaped banking or e-government transformed citizen services. And then there is radical innovation — breakthrough change that redefines the rules entirely. Artificial intelligence is not improving how we work; it is fundamentally restructuring what work means.
Each requires a different strategy, different investment, and a different tolerance for risk. Mixing them without clarity is how organisations end up doing a little of everything and excelling at nothing.
And clarity must extend beyond the type of innovation to the type of value it creates. The ISO definition speaks of 'realising or redistributing value' — but value is not only financial. A digital health platform bringing specialist consultations to patients in remote wilayats redistributes value through equal access to care. A fintech solution giving women who have never had access to a bank account their first pathway to credit and financial independence creates economic justice. An adaptive learning tool serving students with disabilities advances social inclusion. A clean energy initiative protecting Oman's coastline generates environmental value for future generations. When a leadership team is explicit about which types of value they are committing to create — financial, social, or environmental — their investment decisions become sharper, their priorities clearer, and their impact far more intentional. Without that clarity, organisations default to measuring only what is easiest to count, and systematically underinvest in the change that matters most.
This is why governance is not a bureaucratic afterthought. It is the mechanism that turns good intentions into accountable decisions.
When a board cannot agree on what innovation means, it cannot agree on what to fund or what success looks like. Budgets get fragmented. Teams receive contradictory directions. The organisation produces activity — workshops, pilots, committees — without producing real change.
As Oman accelerates toward its Vision 2040 ambitions, this conversation is urgent. We are investing seriously in innovation. But investment without governance is energy without direction.
So the next time innovation appears on your agenda, before the presentations begin, ask three simple questions: What does innovation mean to you? Can we agree on a shared definition? And which of these three types are we truly ready to commit to?
The answers may surprise you. And that conversation may be the most valuable hour your leadership team spends all year.