How information flow empowers innovation – Part 3

Much has been said and written about the transformative power of the internet; how it affects every aspect of our lives; how it keeps changing our economy, society, culture. Today, I'll take stock of the most profound effects the internet has had so far. For me, the term "the internet" is a chiffre for the current performance level that information and … Continue reading How information flow empowers innovation – Part 3 →

How information flow empowers innovation – Part 2

With the advent of movable type printing and wide-spread literacy in the 16th century, society departed from its traditional person-to-person mode of information exchange and entered into a new era: since those days, ideas can travel independent of a human carrier. What did we do with this new freedom; how did the patterns of information exchange evolve … Continue reading How information flow empowers innovation – Part 2 →

Who bears the risk of innovation failure?

Innovation is all about novelty, about charting new territory and sailing unknown waters. This implies that the outcome of any innovative endeavour is by no means certain, let alone predetermined. On the contrary, innovation clearly entails risk, and in fact two different types of risk: one is for the innovator, the other for the society he's working in. With only mild exaggeration, you might consider the first the risk of innovation failure, whereas the other is the risk of innovation success.

Why innovation policy fails …

Often times, the theory is one thing, and its application is something entirely different. Innovation policy is no exception, so that the transfer of conceptual ideas into practice is fraught with unpleasant surprise. I'd suggest two specific challenges to successful policy making in support of innovation: one is related to integrity, the other to competition.

On the unintended consequences of innovation policy …

My appreciation for Ian Morris and his big thinking has been woven into this blog already at a very early stage. He has his finger on the pulse of society's fundamental challenges; his "paradox of development" eloquently paraphrases society's eternal quest for innovation, while pointing out that any solution can only be temporary.