This review is a constructive criticism, a shock
therapy aimed at helping the WIPO Global
Innovation Index to jump to a higher level of
usefulness.
Innovation is People
Why is the WIPO Global Innovation Index is
little to do with innovation?
People are next to be ignored by the authors of
the Index. Yes, the most important
ingredient of an innovation ecosystem looks like
the least important one in the Index. People are
mentioned in the 'Human capital and research'
component only, primarily as an output of the
education system.
Venture capitalists say, "ideas are a dime a
dozen; only execution skills count." Yet, WIPO
Global Innovation Index counts ideas ('Creative
Output' chapter), but pays no attention to
execution skills.
Innovation Glossary says, 'science is converting
money to knowledge; innovation is converting
knowledge to money." WIPO Global Innovation
Index focuses on converting money to knowledge
in its 'Human capital and research' chapter and
says nothing about capabilities of people as
innovators to convert knowledge to money.
This makes the WIPO Global Innovation Index a
statistics exercise that provides just a shallow
insight into what's really going on at the
innovation playground in the world. This reminds
me a joke about a statistics report, "On
average, the temperature of the patients in the
hospital is 36.6°C. Some have a fever, others
have died and are cooling down, but on average
the temperature is 36.6°C."
Adding Innovation to the Innovation Index
Naturally, statistical and scientific methods
are incapable to measure capabilities of 'crazy
ones' for innovation. Performance-assessing
methods should be used.
Innovation is 1% invention and 99%
entrepreneurial experimentation.
Entrepreneurial
Olympic Games help assess capabilities of
sportsmen.
Innompic Games help build and assess
entrepreneurial smartness of Innopreneurs.
InnoBall (Innovation Brainball) entrepreneurial
simulation games helps build and assess
innopreneurial capabilities of venturepreneurial
teams and every team member.
Educative InnoBall Tests help both grow
innovation smartness and assess attitudes of a
testee towards leadership, business, and
innovation.
