Supply chain: the term suggests a pretty simple and manageable process that delivers a given product. It sounds rather well-defined: all process steps and all necessary ingredients are known in advance. And it seems linear: one process step's output is the another step's input. As long as you follow the recipe and put in the right ingredients … Continue reading A supply chain for innovation
One of the lesser known historical figures is the 15th century Chinese admiral Zheng He. Although he was arguably one of the great explorers, on par with Columbus, da Gama, and Magellan, the memory of his journeys quickly faded away. The history of his discoveries is a story about the impact of policy on innovation, for good and … Continue reading Chinese turning points
When I learned that the Oxford Dictionary had identified 'post-truth' as the Word of the Year 2016, I really felt like I was slapped in the face. For somebody with a passion for science and knowledge, it just hurts. But it is true, the one new concept that dominated public discourse in 2016 was that thing … Continue reading Post-factual innovation?
There's a lot of talk about the Digital Revolution and the effects it had, has, might have. Let's take a step back to put things into perspective: Could it be that this revolution is a lot larger than we usually think? Are we currently experiencing the beginnings of a major transformation not only of our technological base, but of the very … Continue reading The Third of the Grand Revolutions
As we increasingly view technology as a resource, we must, as a society, rethink our approach to exercising control over technology: from handling individual products and services to controlling a constant stream of technologies to managing technology flow. Here's why. Technology is a resource In the previous post, I shared my view that technology becomes less and less tangible, … Continue reading How to manage technology flow
understanding innovation 