microinnovation

Microinnovation is small-scale, rapid innovation that improves products, services, or processes. It emphasizes incremental changes that are low cost and low risk but can yield measurable benefits when applied widely. Often initiated by frontline staff or small teams, it relies on short iteration cycles and quick learning.

Characteristics include limited scope, fast feedback loops, and a bias for action. Microinnovations are usually bottom-up, data-informed, and focused on user experience or operational efficiency rather than large R&D projects. They may involve tweaks to workflows, interfaces, or service delivery.

Relation to broader concepts: microinnovation complements macro or disruptive innovation by enabling continuous improvement at scale. It allows testing ideas at a small scale before broader deployment and often fits within lean, agile, or intrapreneurial cultures.

Examples include reorganizing a workspace to cut movement, rewriting a help article to reduce confusion, adding a pre-filled field to prevent errors, or automating a repetitive step. Small experiments, A/B tests, and pilots are common vehicles for microinnovation.

Benefits include faster value delivery, cumulative efficiency gains, and higher employee engagement. Challenges involve attributing impact to individual changes, avoiding fragmentation, and maintaining alignment with strategy. Successful microinnovation requires psychological safety, lightweight governance, simple metrics, and recognition of contributors.