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Can you finish this giant bowl of shaved ice desert?
It's 20 times the usual size!
On our Kaohsiung walking tour, the guide explained the origin of this “superbowl”:
𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒃𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕, s𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒍𝒆!
This is a classic example of “𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐭” innovation:
🧊It improves what a business already does without fundamentally changing it.
🧊It’s about better ways to solve 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬.
In contrast, “𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞” innovation solves 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬:
🧊It involves significant changes that can redefine the business.
🧊For this shop, it might mean selling ready-made dessert packs online.
Both types of innovation are essential to stay competitive and future-ready.
Where does your innovation lie on the "Exploit" and "Explore" continuum?
I first published this reflection on the "Innovation Made Simple. Growth Made Real” series on LinkedIn in Dec 2024.
This picture taken by me at a desert shop just outside of the Gushan Ferry Pier Station, Kaoshiung
