In July 2012, Paul Omerod spoke at the RSA on network effects. He described this as positive linking – but not because the effects of networks are all positive. His contention is that – especially in economics – we tend to be subject to (but over look) network effects. Better attention to this trend could lead to a revolution in our…
Matt Ridley has a talk on TED in which he discusses the hyper-connectivity of the current world, facilitated by digital technology (especially platform technologies). Buy implication the relative ease of world travel and the related population flows must be a factor, too. He uses biological metaphors to bring this idea alive – he talks about ‘ideas having sex’; he dwells…
I have been inspired by various things from Edward de Bono – but especially the experience of using the ‘six thinking hats’ with groups of people thinking about a complex problem, on which there are mutually unintelligible points of view. The six hats express ‘attitudes’ or ‘points of view’ to a situation, in ways that can be adopted as a…
In a meeting of minds (RSA Journal Summer issue 2009) Steven Johnson exploring link between openness of association and exchange of ideas in 18th century and explosion of innovation and scientific discovery. Argues that industrial age (characterised by IP and protection of ideas) is a historical anomaly. Implies idea of withholding information for personal gain was unimaginable. Implies that vitality…
In an article on neuro creativity (RSA Journal article Summer issue 2009) Adam Zeman, Professor of Cognitive & Behavioural Psychology, Peninsula Medical School links innovation to humans in community, mirror neurons, introversion and creativity, the literal power of imagination (how an image summoned up with your eyes closed has more neural impact than an image generated through sight of the…
Some people talk of an ’innovation butterfly’, of swarm intelligence, and the benefits of ‘flocking’. Basic models of flocking behaviour are controlled by three simple rules: Separation – avoid crowding neighbours (short range repulsion) Alignment – steer towards average heading of neighbours Cohesion – steer towards average position of neighbours (long range attraction) With these three simple rules, the flock moves…
The spin out from NESTA, 100%open have invented their ‘jam’ and ‘discover’ methods for co-creation of innovation. Some of their key concepts include: Give|Get Cultivate the edge Ideas are worthless – conversations, relationships, transactions Net-works Connect the dots – ‘if the answer isn’t surprising, you are asking the wrong question’ Start@the end In their 100% idiom, they are discussing forms of innovative…
Jake Chapman ‘System Failure’ DEMOS publication (2002), seminal paper in the UK which applied systems’ thinking to the messiness of public policy problems. Relevant to our thinking about context of use and the personal specifics of intimate experience of innovation. In discussing core systems concepts (pages 33-34), Chapman writes: The existence of significantly different perspectives on a problem is a…
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