
Innovation comes in many forms, from small refinements to groundbreaking transformations. Incremental innovation focuses on gradual improvements, making existing technologies more efficient, cost-effective, or reliable. However, some of the most significant advances arise when innovation takes a different path, shifting the architecture of a system itself. Instead of optimizing individual components, systemic innovation reimagines how they interact, leading to disruptive breakthroughs.
A useful analogy comes from evolution: small changes in the physiology of dinosaurs over millions of years led to minor adaptations, but the transition from reptiles to birds was an architectural shift that unlocked entirely new functions: flight, metabolic efficiency, and ecological dominance. This type of leap is what architectural change can achieve in industrial innovation.
In engineering, there is a fundamental difference between optimizing a single component, such as increasing the thermodynamic efficiency of an engine, and redesigning the entire vehicle architecture, like rethinking the passenger compartment for autonomous driving. Engineering relies on measurable parameters and deductive reasoning; on the other hand, system architecture involves emerging properties, complexity, and creativity. In essence, it is an inductive process guided by guidelines and acquired experience.
The Role of System Architecture in Breakthrough Innovation
A system is more than the sum of its parts. The key reason for designing systems is to create emergent functions, capabilities that individual components alone cannot provide. However, these emergent functions require managing complexity. Unlike simple aggregation, functions interact in nonlinear ways. For example, the first airplanes were able to fly, but simply making them bigger was not a viable path to accommodate more than one passenger. Architectural changes were necessary to make large-scale air transportation possible.
Discover our AI software for the automatic extraction of information from technical documents.
Another important aspect to be stressed is that the value of a system is generated at the interfaces between its components. These interactions can create desirable emergent properties, or undesirable ones if not managed properly. This is why system design must rigorously analyze how components interact, ensuring that new architectures avoid performance bottlenecks and unintended consequences. A well-designed architectural shift can yield exponential benefits. In industrial applications, redesigning a system rather than optimizing its parts can halve energy consumption, reduce footprint, and enhance scalability.
However, innovation does not happen by chance. It must be guided through structured methodologies that leverage existing knowledge. One key approach is mining intellectual property, often called the “goldmine” of patents. By analyzing existing solutions across industries, companies can identify novel architectural shifts that drive breakthroughs and can explore new opportunities of product innovation.
Rethinking Reagent Dispensing in Medical Technology
One example of systemic innovation, which exploited functional and patent analysis, was suggested by Erre Quadro to a major company in the medical field specializing in reagent dispensing, a critical process that traditionally relies on high-precision pipettors and separate precision dosers or pumps. While these solutions offer exceptional accuracy, they are also costly and complex. Rather than merely refining existing technologies, Erre Quadro proposed a technological cross-over analysis, meaning identifying industries that have similar functional requirements but lower cost structures.
By looking at other fields, several potential alternatives emerged. In electronics, solder paste dispensers achieve ultra-precise dosing at high frequencies. The automotive industry uses fuel injectors, which offer extreme accuracy at a fraction of the cost. In medical and chemical applications, piezoelectric pumps and dosing systems operate at nanoliter precision. Finally, inkjet printing technology, both thermal and piezoelectric, is capable of dispensing tiny volumes with high reliability.
By integrating principles from these industries, a new reagent dispensing system was developed that eliminated the need for traditional pipettors and precision dosers. The benefits were significant: lower costs, reduced waste, and enhanced efficiency, all while maintaining the required accuracy.
Combining Functions in Laboratory Automation
An other example in which a system change enabled a breakthrough innovation is represented by a laboratory automation that traditionally employed separate robotic arms for dispensing, aspiration, and pipetting. Each function was performed by a dedicated mechanism, which increased system complexity and cost. However, by rethinking the architecture of laboratory automation, engineers explored ways to combine these functions within a single robotic system.
To summarize, the solution was a multi-function robotic platform that could perform all three tasks using interchangeable heads or quick-release mechanisms. This eliminated the need for multiple robotic arms, reducing footprint, cost, and complexity. The flexibility of such a system also allowed for faster reconfiguration, making laboratories more adaptable to evolving research needs.
By shifting the focus from optimizing individual robotic arms to rethinking the entire system’s architecture, this innovation delivered greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It demonstrated the power of systemic innovation: instead of refining an existing process, a new, more integrated approach was developed that changed the way laboratory automation is conceived.
Conclusion: Systematic Thinking for Systemic Innovation
Architectural change offers the most powerful form of innovation, enabling radical leaps instead of incremental improvements. By leveraging system complexity, cross-industry inspiration, and structured innovation processes like patent mining, organizations can unlock transformative breakthroughs. The future belongs to those who systematically drive systemic innovation, even when it comes to innovating a single component.
Request a demo of our AI tools.