In Brazil and abroad, in both the business and academic worlds, the debate on the meaning and possibilities of innovative practice still make the conceptual mistake of confusing innovation with high technology. In fact it is often far from easy to visualize the full extent of innovative processes. Not only because it is difficult to anticipate the different uses and appropriations of the original plans to be made by users and other companies. But also because, generally speaking, innovative processes are not limited to companies and are in fact developed through a wide network of collaborators whose commercial dimension is just one of their various aspects. Consequently the network of connections formed involves companies, business leaders, researchers, distributers, research and consumer institutions, producing a highly diverse and complex ecosystem. The present article, by examining in detail the various dimensions of innovation, looks to establish some conceptual reference points that can help in the development of this discussion.
Innovation; Technology; Technological development