The classic definitions of innovation include: the process of making improvements by introducing something new the act of introducing something new: something newly introduced (The American Heritage Dictionary). the introduction of something new. (Merriam-Webster Online) a new idea, method or device. (Merriam-Webster Online) the successful exploitation of new ideas (Dept of Trade and Industry, UK). change that creates a new dimension of performance Peter Drucker (Hesselbein, 2002)