The Four “I”s of Innovation

We often talk about innovation as an inherent good, as if adopting the newest technology or trend is a sign of progress on its own. But innovation only matters when it meaningfully serves the people and problems we’re actually trying to address. Working across education, government, and tech for the last 15 years, I’ve found that for innovation to be of real value, it must be Intentional, Informed, Inclusive, and Impactful.

1. Intentional

Innovation should start with purpose, not hype. Before embracing any new technology, ask:

• What problem are we trying to solve?
  

• Why do we believe this approach is the best way to solve it?

It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of emerging technologies and buzzwords. But if you can’t clearly articulate how a particular innovation will help your users, your organization, or your strategy, you risk chasing trends instead of creating value. The most successful innovations are grounded in clarity rather than novelty.

2. Informed

You can’t make good decisions about technology without truly understanding it. That means listening to your in-house subject-matter experts, carving out time for research, and inviting perspectives from external advisers when needed. It also means being honest about what you don’t know and filling those gaps proactively.

Some grounding questions to ask about any technology:

• How stable is it?
  Is this a well-established, actively maintained tool? Or something evolving so fast that it may introduce volatility or technical debt?
  

• How secure is it?
  Does it meet the data protection and privacy requirements relevant to your sector, markets, or user groups? Do you trust the provider?
  

• How flexible is it?
  Can your teams adapt or extend it to suit your needs, or will you be tethered to another company’s roadmap and priorities?

Being informed doesn’t mean being an expert in everything. It means being curious, critical, and recognizing what you need to make strategic decisions with confidence. 

3. Inclusive

True innovation should work for everyone you serve, not just the most resourced or easily reached.

Consider whether the technology:

• Has strong accessibility practices and design principles.
  

• Depends on infrastructure that some users simply don’t have access to.
  

• Will land differently across the diverse markets, cultures, or communities you operate in.

One example that has stayed with me comes from my time working on Partnership Schools for Liberia. Some of the organizations we engaged brought promising models, but their innovations depended on reliable internet access when large parts of the country didn’t have that infrastructure. As a result, these partners could only operate in more developed urban centers, and their model could never scale nationally without significant, long-term investment in connectivity. Meanwhile, other providers embraced lower-tech innovation strategies that offered a pathway to reach even the most remote and resource-constrained communities. 

Technology has the power to be a great equalizer, but only if those steering its adoption keep access, equity, and inclusion at the heart of their decision-making. This consideration will be especially important for governments and social impact organizations looking to partner or adopt innovations driven by private-sector business with stronger profit motives. 

4. Impactful

Innovation for its own sake is not a strategy. You should define from the outset what success looks like and how you will stay accountable to those goals.

Ask yourself:

• What outcomes do we expect this innovation to achieve?
  

• How will we know if it’s working?

A roadmap full of new features means very little without a clear theory of change that links those features to your core goals—whether that’s increased adoption, improved learning or health outcomes, better citizen engagement, or something else entirely.

Set KPIs and measurement plans upfront. Build feedback loops into implementation. Let data guide your judgement rather than your hopes. The organizations that learn and iterate quickly are the ones that ultimately deliver lasting, meaningful impact.

Innovation isn’t about being the first or the flashiest. It’s about being intentional, informed, inclusive, and focused on outcomes that matter. When we anchor innovation in these four principles, we create solutions that are not only new, but genuinely valuable.