Exnovation

Exnovation means the process of terminating a practice, or the use of a technology or product, within an organization, community, or society. Put simply, it can be described as the opposite of innovation. Exnovation has also been described as the "flipside of innovation",[1] or the "lesser-known sibling of innovation".[2]

In commerce and management, exnovation can occur when products and processes that have been tested and confirmed to be best-in-class are standardized to ensure that they are not innovated further.[3][4][5][6] Companies that have followed exnovation as a strategy to improve organizational performance include General Electric, Ford Motor Company and American Airlines.[7]

One of the earliest usages of the term came in 1981, when John Kimberly referred to "removal of innovation from an organisation".[8] In 1996 A. Sandeep provided a modern definition of exnovation as the philosophy of not innovating – in other words, ensuring that best-in-class entities are not innovated further. Since then "exnovation" has become a notable parlance in various practices, from management to medicine.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

In recent years, the concept has been increasingly taken up in sustainability and transition research to designate and investigate the deliberate phase-out of unsustainable technologies, products, and practices, particularly in relation to energy transitions and a coal phase-out.[15][16][17]

Exnovation and innovation are interrelated: "On the one hand, exnovating products and practices creates spaces for new products and practices. On the other hand, the promise of a new product or practice helps eliminating old products and practices."[2]