What is innovation? I mean really, what is it? To you? To your employer? To your team? To your friends? Is the normal advance of technological and human progress innovation? Is the latest smartphone or TV innovation? What characteristics does something have to have in order for you to call it innovative? Should it cost you more to apply innovation or less? Should there be a gain from innovation or is it a price worth paying? Is innovation a status symbol? Do you innovate? At work, at home, in your leisure time? Is Netflix or Tinder innovation? Is Uber? What isn’t innovation?

Others have explored this space in abundance. I have read a few good books and lots of great articles on innovation. A google search on the word ‘innovation’ results in 2.15 billion results.

Clearly, it’s a popular topic.

I explored innovation as part of my blueprint, a 9,000 word piece I did for my IMI / UCC Diploma in Digital Business. This excellent course opened my eyes to a lot of aspects of the digital world that businesses operate in today. As follow on to that course, I am exploring an area of innovation I am calling Provocative Innovation. I have a hypothesis that I’d like to explore that Provocative Innovation is a great way of improving adoption of innovation in the regulated utility sector. I will be evaluating the published research on innovation in the regulated utility sector and attempting to define the characteristics of Provocative Innovation. I will be interviewing people from a broad range of utilities in the UK and Ireland and testing my hypothesis along the way. I hope to publish my findings and who knows, even aim for a PhD in the area.

I work in the utility sector and have done for the past 18 years. It’s a long time and putting it on screen like this makes it seem even longer. However, I have been lucky to work in may areas of the gas and water utility sector during this time. I enjoy learning and am intellectually curious by nature. My current role involves researching innovation in my company and I have had some experience with what I call Provocative Innovation.

Utilities are fascinating and essential businesses. Known by those who work in them as the silent services, utilities contribute enormously to civil society. Utilities enable economies to grow and prosper and for people to live comfortable, “modern” lives. Just imagine if you turned your taps on and nothing came out; or if the gas you depend on to cook and heat your home wasn’t available. Your new phone wouldn’t be much good without a power plant at the end of the plug to charge it. These are essential goods provided in the most part by natural monopolies.  Such sectors are regulated and have an economic regulator who act as the voice of the customer among other things. In Ireland the CRU regulates in the public interest. In the UK there are other regulators who fulfil a similar role.

This monopoly position with a regulated business model allowing the utility to operate at a profit in the absence of free-market competition is unusual to most people. Long and loya service are not uncommon with many people spending their entire working career in a utility. In an era of tech unicorns, scooter sharing and venture capital, having a business model that guarantees a return on your capital in the very, very long term is almost a throwback to another time. The planning horizons of a utility are naturally very  long. Anyone who has visited Pont du Gard in France can see a still standing example of 2,000 year old water utility infrastructure. What incentive do utilities have to innovate? What form does innovation take in utilities? Does Provocative Innovation as I see it work better compared to other forms of innovation? How can the adoption of innovation be improved in the sector?

So, that’s the topic, innovation, and that’s the sector, regulated utilities. I’m going to explore these areas in as much depth as makes sense to explore my hypothesis. I’d be delighted if you could follow me on journey to test this hypothesis and to help me along the way in any way you can. I’d be even happier if you learnt something along the way.