Last week, I wrote a short post to provide a definition of innovation. By coincidence, a friend had been having a conversation a week or so prior about the difference between innovation and invention.
After giving it some thought, I feel like the distinction rests in the context of the nature of the problem being solved. More specifically, if the problem already exists or not.
Invention would create a solution to a new problem. Another way of saying this solution creates a new awareness of a problem that always existed, but wasn’t yet in our consciousness. (Philosophically, through the concept of reference, we know that the problem existed. However, until language is created to objectify the problem, the problem does not exist in the context of humanity.)
An innovation would create a new solution to an old problem.
Where this gets unclear is when a solution solves two problems: an old and a new.
An example might be the personal computer.
One old problem (of many) it solved was that of faster processing of information and calculations. The problem of processing information and calculations has always existed. Therefore, in this context, the personal computer was an innovation.
One new problem (of many) it solved was that of portable, “soft” copies of information. Until we had the ability to store information in 1s and 0s, the problem of information transfer was always viewed in the scope of ink and paper. With 1s and 0s, information was now viewed entirely differently. Problem created, problem solved. The nature of information storage completely changed. Thus, the nature of invention.