Innovation plays an important role in the development and renewal of sports as a form. In many countries, attempts are being made to create systems that improve sports organization and sports equipment with new innovative ideas. This is as a result of increasing awareness on sports and the opportunities and benefits thereof. Realizing the importance of healthy life, many people now pay more attention to sports activities, which are generally regarded as a form of preventive medicine and are directing their interests and skills to both outdoor sports and indoor sports activities. Ease of access to sports activities either physically or visually has also increased drastically in recent times. All these, among many other related trends have been made possible through technology and sports innovation. In this article, we'll look briefly at the types of innovation in sport.
Types of Innovation in Sport
Innovations are categorized into many types according to the context or field in question. In sports, however, innovations can be classified into four groups namely; product innovation, process innovation, organizational innovation and marketing innovation.
1. Product innovation
Product innovation implies developing a product by modifying it, and consequently offering convenience or efficiency in use. The difference in sports has created the need for many different kinds of materials such as shoe types, ball types, racket types etc. To meet these needs, continous researches and innovations are being made to create new products and tools. Nowadays, these innovations are made evident in world championships, continental tournaments, Olympics, etc.
2. Process innovation
process innovation involves modifying the way a product is made or a service is delivered. It is the development of different and new production or distribution methods, or the improvement of existing methods. Process innovation involves changes in one or more steps of the product or service during the production phase. Such innovation can be in the techniques, equipment, software or distribution used to produce products or services. One major benefit of process innovation is the it helps minimize costs by eliminating or replacing unnecessary processes.
3. Organizational Innovation
This refers to a new method that can be used to minimize administrative, transactional and raw material costs of enterprises, to increase employee satisfaction and increase efficiency. Sports administrators, for example, have vital roles and responsibilities in the implementation of sports policies and in the realization and development of sports training in the most possible cost-effective way.
4. Marketing Innovation
Marketing innovation is process that involves developing or improving traditional marketing strategies. Sport, for many decades, has been the center of attention and has gradually become a multi-billion dollar industry. It emphasises the advantages of different and more innovative methods such as; exploring new marketing approaches e.g. online marketing, website optimization, organizing new campaigns, promotion activities, enhancing the brand image and improving the quality of products and services.
