The distinction between radical and incremental innovations is easier to intuit than
to define or measure. Kaluzny, Veney and Gentry (1972) define radical innovations
in terms of risk. Since the radical incremental distinction is one of the perceived degree
of new knowledge embodied in the technology, managers are likely to differ in their
judgment of an innovation based on their level of familiarity and experience.
Furthermore, innovations change their classifications over time, e.g., steam locomotives
were once thought quite novel, but today, unfortunately, they are mere historical
curiosities. The distinction between radical and incremental innovations, then, is not
one of hard and fast categories. Instead, there is a continuum of innovations that range
from radical to incremental (Hage 1980). An innovation's placement on this continuum
depends upon perceptions of those familiar with the degree of departure of the
innovation from the state of knowledge prior to its introduction.