Revolutionary innovation is dramatic. It is most often associated with the introduction of products that transform the market—like personal computers, digital cameras, and interactive products like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home. When we think of the entrepreneurs behind revolutionary innovation, we think of people like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos or even Marie Curie. Revolutionary innovation can often require a high-risk investment. It is often expensive and warrants investments from funders—or sponsors—willing to take a risk that the proposed product, process, or system will indeed result in transformation.

Evolutionary innovation seeks incremental changes to existing products, processes, systems, and structures. It is not usually as expensive as revolutionary innovation. The outcomes are somewhat more predictable and easy to fix if they do not work. The incremental changes, too, require some risk, but not as much as in a revolutionary innovation. Evolutionary innovation is still growth, it is still change, and it can transform the marketplace—in every industry, including social services.