Incremental Innovations
Incremental innovations introduce relatively modest changes to existing products by refining and improving design concepts that exploit the potential of an established design (Henderson and Clark 1990). This is usually achieved by altering relatively few components and leaving the links between components, that is, the product architecture, largely unchanged (Henderson and Clark 1990). These incremental innovations increase the functional capacity of the product through small-scale, continuous improvements in product attributes such as performance, safety, quality and cost (Olofsson 2003). A change in the shape of the blades used in a fan might be an example of an incremental innovation.
Henderson and Clark (1990) suggest that incremental innovation may require new component knowledge and skills. However, incremental innovations are described as competence enhancing because they tend to build on, and extend existing skills, reinforcing the applicability of existing knowledge. Christensen and Overdorf (2000) suggest that incremental change also confirms that organisational processes and priorities are valid, entrenching them in the organisation’s culture.