Capturing innovation

The books A Whole New Mind and Business by Design both focus on finding objective ways to bring innovation to the workplace. What struck me is that there is a very strong, common theme - This innovation is by its nature something that can not be easily captured. Some businesses like Ideo may be experienced veterans of the design process, but their expertise is more of a guiding light than a blueprint. Others like the designers of the Aeron chair have similar success, but lack a rigid process for achieving it. This of course begs the question, how can we students bring innovation to the jobs we will have, or have now? Will the perspective we gain be enough to bring about a real change in the world, or will we depend partially on luck or talent? Can we capture innovation? - Chris Valdes