Incremental vs Radical Changes
Incremental Change is a gradual process that makes small, continuous adjustments to an existing system over time. It is less disruptive and typically less expensive than radical change, and it allows organizations to maintain momentum and keep the same business models.
Some examples of Incremental change are:
Google’s search engine algorithm has undergone numerous incremental changes over the years, such as the introduction of the Knowledge Graph and the BERT algorithm. Similarly, Facebook’s News Feed algorithm incrementally introduced the “See First” feature and the prioritization of posts from friends and family over ones from businesses and publishers.
Radical Change is a complete overhaul of the current system. It is disruptive and expensive, but it is needed if the current system is outdated or inapplicable. Radical change is an opportunity to adjust to new technologies and business models.
Some examples of Radical change are:
In 2018, IBM overhauled its Watson AI platform, restructuring the entire platform to introduce a new user interface, new tools for data scientists, and new features for developers. In 2019, Microsoft massively overhauled its Cortana AI assistant to shift the platform focus from consumer to enterprise. The overhaul introduced new features so businesses may create custom skill-sets and integrate with other Microsoft services.
