--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To gain the competitive edge, companies…" description: "\"To gain the competitive edge, companies must master the ability to innovate.\" — Hilary Mason" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/hilary-mason-12652_ability_to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-m_1378752.jpg" --- # To gain the competitive edge, companies must master the… ![“To gain the competitive edge, companies must master the ability to innovate.” quote by Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/hilary-mason-12652_ability_to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-m_1378752.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/hilary-mason-12652_ability_to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-m_1378752.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/hilary-mason-12652_ability_to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-m_1378752.jpg) > “To gain the competitive edge, companies must master the ability to innovate.” [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Companies that excel at innovation gain a decisive market advantage, requiring continuous learning and experimentation. **In simple terms:** Innovation drives competitive edge. Key Takeaway Cultivate a culture of experimentation. Themes innovation competition strategy learning growth Mood forward‑looking strategic Type business inspirational When to use this quote - product development - R&D - market analysis Key Concepts disruptive technology organizational agility creative processes Questions to Reflect On - How can firms balance risk with the need for innovation? - What structures support sustained creative output? A Different Perspective Innovation may be costly and risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) ## Related quotes > [What makes the United States great, the reason people wanted to live in the United States, move here still, is because of our ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/what-makes-the-united-states-great-the-reason-people-wanted-to-live/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Corporations today, by their razor sharp focus on the 'bottom line' and quarterly earnings, have lost their ability to innovate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/corporations-today-by-their-razor-sharp-focus-on-the-bottom-line-and/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) > [The hope for our nation and our world lies within our ability to innovate and move forward technologically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rollins/the-hope-for-our-nation-and-our-world-lies-within-our-ability-to/) [James Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rollins/) > [“Words for completely novel concepts and technical breakthroughs are devised as soon as needed, explained with ease and absorbed with scarcely an effort by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dalby/words-for-completely-novel-concepts-and-technical-breakthroughs-are/) [Andrew Dalby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dalby/) > [When you find errors in conventional wisdom-when everyone says A and A is not true-you gain competitive advantage. Only a few times do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-ellison/when-you-find-errors-in-conventional-wisdom-when-everyone-says-a-and/) [Larry Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-ellison/) > [I think for me individually, I approach every night like I'm the best player on the floor. I don't care who's on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-think-for-me-individually-i-approach-every-night-like-i-m-the-best/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [A well-designed 401(k) plan is an enormous competitive edge when recruiting and retaining employees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/a-well-designed-401-k-plan-is-an-enormous-competitive-edge-when/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [My training and ballet background definitely gives me the competitive edge on the ice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-chen/my-training-and-ballet-background-definitely-gives-me-the-competitive/) [Nathan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-chen/) > [A competitive edge has helped me through my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/a-competitive-edge-has-helped-me-through-my-career/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [I think every brother and sister would kind of have that competitive edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/i-think-every-brother-and-sister-would-kind-of-have-that-competitive/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [I believe that the ability to innovate and to be creative are teachable processes. There are ways by which people can systematically innovate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ng/i-believe-that-the-ability-to-innovate-and-to-be-creative-are/) [Andrew Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ng/) > [Intelligence services all over the world, in order to retain their competitive edge, have to adapt or they won't survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-haspel/intelligence-services-all-over-the-world-in-order-to-retain-their/) [Gina Haspel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-haspel/) > [It's the knowledge derived from information that gives you a competitive edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/it-s-the-knowledge-derived-from-information-that-gives-you-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [When thinking about how to deploy kind of professional and social networking into your business, it's really not a question of if, it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/when-thinking-about-how-to-deploy-kind-of-professional-and-social/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Aiming at giving our kids a competitive edge in a consumer society - that, in principle, is a goal that is limitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/aiming-at-giving-our-kids-a-competitive-edge-in-a-consumer-society/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) ## More by Hilary Mason > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Cool innovation might happen in startups, but they often lack the resources or the deep expertise in the problems they want to address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/cool-innovation-might-happen-in-startups-but-they-often-lack-the/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [My job is to analyze our data set to understand it and build products on it. I look at raw data, do the math…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/my-job-is-to-analyze-our-data-set-to-understand-it-and-build-products/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [After graduate school, I joined Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island as an assistant professor, but I continued to program in addition to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/after-graduate-school-i-joined-johnson-wales-university-in-rhode/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Science is the practice of failing repeatedly but learning as you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/science-is-the-practice-of-failing-repeatedly-but-learning-as-you-go/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [The sender and subject line are actually the most important parts of an e-mail because people tend to put more important information in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/the-sender-and-subject-line-are-actually-the-most-important-parts-of/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Data is a tool for enhancing intuition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/data-is-a-tool-for-enhancing-intuition/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [It's rare that you can solve a technology problem with more technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-rare-that-you-can-solve-a-technology-problem-with-more-technology/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [When you start at Bitly, you go through this emotional cycle, where first you go, 'Oh my God, this data is amazing.' But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/when-you-start-at-bitly-you-go-through-this-emotional-cycle-where/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [People share things that make them look good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/people-share-things-that-make-them-look-good/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [I believe technology should give us superpowers. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to think, analyze, and create with technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/i-believe-technology-should-give-us-superpowers-everyone-should-have/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Companies that rely on licensing a proprietary dataset should expect to be outpaced by competitors using modern data collection techniques and more frequent updates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/companies-that-rely-on-licensing-a-proprietary-dataset-should-expect/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [The core advantage of data is that it tells you something about the world that you didn't know before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/the-core-advantage-of-data-is-that-it-tells-you-something-about-the/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Often, people think that individual data is the most valuable thing they can collect. But it's not useful to know what I am doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/often-people-think-that-individual-data-is-the-most-valuable-thing/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [I'm very lucky to work at bitly, with a data set that allows us to explore human social behavior at the scale of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/i-m-very-lucky-to-work-at-bitly-with-a-data-set-that-allows-us-to/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) [Explore all 54 Hilary Mason quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To gain the competitive edge, companies must master the ability to innovate.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Mason" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-must-master-the-ability-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-must-master-the-ability-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/hilary-mason-12652_ability_to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-m_1378752.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/hilary-mason-12652_ability_to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-m_1378752.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/hilary-mason-12652_ability_to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-m_1378752.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To gain the competitive edge, companies must master the ability to innovate.” — Hilary Mason", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hilary Mason", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To gain the competitive edge, companies...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-must-master-the-ability-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/to-gain-the-competitive-edge-companies-must-master-the-ability-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```