No matter how hard we try to keep things simple and under control, many man-made systems turn out to be – or to become over time – quite complex and unpredictable. Despite our effort. Against our intentions. In stark contrast to our preference for simple, linear, static, controllable, predictable systems. Computer software, stock markets and tax codes are … Continue reading The dynamic ups and downs of human systems
Tag: change
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.
Attention! Attention!
"Expert attention is to creative problem solving what water is to life in the desert: it is the fundamental scarce resource." That is Michael Nielsen's main thesis in 'Reinventing Discovery', which is really a book about the future of science.
Innovation and revolution in science
A lot has been said already about the role of science as an essential underpinning of innovation. But apart from this perspective of innovation through science, there’s another aspect of the science-innovation relation I’d like to cast some light on: How does innovation in science work?
Wall Street
Describing the impact of innovation is a challenging task. Searching for a reasonably current example, I turned to the movies. And I found a compelling story in Oliver Stone's two Wall Street movies. Or rather, between the two.
understanding innovation 