Beware of Edgecreep

The leading edge of innovation in products, services, work place design, technology and business leadership is in constant movement. Edgecreep happens like the changing phases of the moon; gradually every day. What is edge creep? In business we recognize this most dramatically in technology. The minute you purchase a computer it is obsolete and something better has already started down the assembly line. Technology is setting the pace for all businesses to recognize edgecreep happens daily.

Edgecreep is how the cutting edge makes its way to mainstream and becomes taken as the standard. GPS in cars, social marketing on the internet, and online access by mobile phone were cutting edge ideas initially and now are considered mainstream.

To no one's surprise the cutting edge innovation is getting to the mainstream faster than ever requiring businesses to get faster into innovation.

What in your business are you proud of as a huge step in cutting edge innovation in product, service or technology? How long ago did that first happen? How has the edge creeped away since that time?

Amazing how mainstream we become unless we are constantly grabbing for the edge. Six months ago twitter was still the domain of a select few early adopter types and today it is talked about in magazines, newspapers and on television shows. In fact, when sports talk shows are taking tweets as well as email; well, it doesn't get any more mainstream than that.

What giant step do you need to make to reposition your organization on the edge again? If you are losing market share – it's not the economy, you've lost your edge.