The Myths of Innovation By Scott Berkun
May 2007
Pages: 192

Cover | Table of Contents

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Index

[ Numbers ], [ A ], [ B ], [ C ], [ D ], [ E ], [ F ], [ G ], [ H ], [ I ], [ J ], [ K ], [ L ], [ M ], [ N ], [ O ], [ P ], [ Q ], [ R ], [ S ], [ T ], [ U ], [ V ], [ W ], [ X ], [ Z ],

Numbers[ Top ]
37signals Backpack, framing of Backpack development problems, 131
3M, employee-chosen projects, 48

A[ Top ]
acceleration resulting from technology, mixed effects of, 145
"accident", role in discovery, 41
adoption of innovations, 64-66
      analysis of influential factors, 115-117
      ease of adoption, 122
      goodness/adoption paradox, 121-124
      metric system, 117-121
Aiken, Howard, 59
airplane, invention of, 136
Amazon.com, 14
Apple, 31
      founding of, 44
      framing of Apple IIe development problems, 131
      invention of desktop computer and digital music player, 71
      VisiCalc spreadsheet, 78
Applied Imagination, 90
apprentices, role in innovation, 76
Archimedes' Eureka, 10
Armstrong, Neil, 74
Art of Innovation, The, 103
"As We May Think", 13
automobile, invention of, 29, 68
      good and bad consequences of automobiles, 143
      innovations that preceded Ford, 71
      negative reception of Ford's first cars, 84

B[ Top ]
Backpack, framing of development problems, 131
bad effects of innovations, 139, 141-145
      automobiles, 143
      cell phones, 143
      DDT, 141-143
      future and past, 146
      personal computers, 143
      (see also goodness)
banning of literary classics, 54
Basalla, George, 29
beating your competitors, 46
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 86
Bell, Alexander Graham, 54
Berners-Lee, Tim, 6, 121
best ideas winning, myth of, 110-124
      goodness/adoption paradox, 121-124
      secondary factors of innovation, 114-117
      why people believe the best wins, 111-114
Blockbusters, 131
Bodanis, David, 79
brainstorming
      finding ideas and turning off filters, 91
      history and misuse of, 90
      idea finding, definition by Osborn, 91
brand names used to name innovations, 70
breaks, importance in creative process, 12
breakthrough, triggers for, 12
Bricklin, Dan, 78
Brin, Sergey, 54
Brown, John Seely, 128
Bush, Vannevar, 13
business management, 96-107
      challenges of managing innovation, 101-107
      forces driving creation of, 99
      old-school command and control attitude, 100
Butter, Andrea, 131

C[ Top ]
Cage, John, 39
calculus, invention of, 73
Campbell-Swinton, A. A., 74
Carr, Edward, 24
Carson, Rachel, 142
cathode ray tubes, 74
cell phones, 13
      good and bad effects of using, 143, 146
challenges of innovation, 44-46
Christensen, Clayton M., 62
collaboration in innovation, 76
Columbus, Christopher, 23
compatibility of innovation to current methods, 65
competitors, beating, 46
complexity of innovations, 65
computer mouse, 14
      how it started, 41
      negative perception of initial idea, 84
      predecessors to Apple Macintosh, 71
Cook, Scott, 128
copying machine, invention of, 41
cost of transition to innovation vs. relative advantage, 65
Cragislist.org, 49
creativity
      acknowledgement of individual creativity, 75
      creative geniuses, 75
      effects of advancing civilization upon, 83
      Greek goddesses (or muses) representing, 5
      link to ability to see ideas as fluid and free, 89
      myth of declining ability in adulthood, 82
      origins of, 3
      study of thought processes of creative people, 11
      switching between different projects, 12
Creativity in Science, 73
Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, 11
criticisms of innovative ideas, 57-61, 88
      mapping to deeper issues, 59
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, 11
culture, influence on adoption of innovations, 115
curiosity, reader frustrated by, 181
curiosity, role in innovation, 42
customers (potential), reaching for innovations, 45

D[ Top ]
da Vinci, Leonardo, 12
      as creative genius, 75
      frustration with limitations of employers and peers, 63
Davy, Humphrey, 68
DDT, 141-143
de Mestral, George, 42
deeper issues underlying criticism of new ideas, 59
desktop computers (see PC)
developing a solution (see solutions)
Dewey, John, 128
dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), 141-143
Dickens, Brian, 74
difficulty of innovation, calculating, 49
Diffusion of Innovations, 64
diffusion of innovations
      analysis of influential factors, 115-117
      ease of adoption, 122
      goodness/adoption paradox, 121-124
      metric system, 117-121
      psychological and sociological factors in, 65-66
Digital Equipment Corporation, 57
digital music player, invention of, 71
DNA, discovery of, 41
dominant design, influence on adoption of innovations, 115
Drew, Richard G., 48
Drucker, Peter, 15, 98
Dyson, Freeman, 12

E[ Top ]
E=mc2, development of, 79
ease of adoption of innovations, 122
eBay Corporation, founding of, 6
economics, effect on adoption of innovations, 116
      cost of transition vs. relative advantage, 65
      Internet use, 122
Edison, Thomas, 42
      credit for invention of electric light, 68
      problem-framing strategy, 129
      promotion of innovations, 70
      star persona as shield for innovation, 104
Edmonson, Amy C., 100
Eiffel Tower, criticisms of, 57
Einstein, Albert
      acknowledgment of mistakes, 51
      defining a problem, 127
      development of E=mc2, 79
      importance of imagination, 83
elaboration of an idea into function, 13
electric light, invention of, 68
      problem of precedence, 69
      (see also Edison, Thomas)
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 113
Engelbart, Douglas, 110
Engines of Our Ingenuity, The, 77
English measurement system, 118
      factors influencing its retention in the U.S., 121
      inheritance and tradition as factors in U.S. retention of, 115
entrepreneurship
      Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 15
      technological innovation and, 62
environment conducive to innovation, 102
epiphanies, 2-15
      Archimedes' Eureka, 10
      defined, 5
      innovation without, 13
      journalistic reporting of magic moments, 6
      study of thought processes of innovators, 11
Eureka (Archimedes), 10
Evolution of Technology, The, 29
evolution, innovation and, 25
      dominant designs, domination of history, 29-34
      fallacies of evolution, 26
evolutionary advantage in fear of new things, 55
execution (of ideas), 105

F[ Top ]
Farnsworth, Philo, 74
fears of innovation, 55
      managing, 55
Feynman, Richard, 12
filters, ideas and, 90-93
      turning off filters while finding ideas, 91
financial obligations, meeting while working on innovation, 46
finding an idea (see ideas)
Firefox browser, 33
Flickr, 47
forcing adoption of innovations, 120
Ford, Henry, 68, 84
      management philosophy, 98
      precedents in invention of automobile, 71
      promotion of innovations, 70
Fountainhead, The, 112
Frames of Mind, 82
framing strategy for problems, 128-133
      exploring problems with prototypes, 132
frustration at inability to innovate in established businesses, 62
Fry, Art, 41
function, elaboration of an idea into, 13
funding innovations, 45

G[ Top ]
Galileo, 54, 127
      importance of time and place of birth, 73
      societal reaction to sun-centered solar system, 60
Gantt, Henry Laurence, 98
Gardner, Howard, 82
gas-powered automobile (see automobile, invention of)
genius, myth of, 82
geniuses, 75
Gibson, William, 66
goddesses of creativity (see muses of creativity)
good ideas, finding, 82-93
      dangerous life of ideas, 84
      filters and ideas, 90-93
      how to find, 85-89
goodness
      best ideas win, myth of
            metric system, 117-121
            secondary factors of innovation, 114-117
      best ideas winning, myth of, 110-124
            goodness/adoption paradox, 121-124
            source of belief that best wins, 111-114
      future and past, 146
      measuring for innovations, 138-140
            unpredictable effects of innovations, 141-145
      subjective nature of, 116
      technological acceleration without heeding consequences, 145
Google
      employees' time for their own projects, 48
      environment supportive of innovation, 103
      epiphany myth and, 2
      how innovators started, 41
      rejection of idea of, 54
Gould, Gordon, 10, 144
graphical user interfaces, invention of, 71
gravity, discovery of, 4
      (see also Newton, Isaac)
Gutenberg, Johannes, 20, 144

H[ Top ]
harmful effects of innovations, 141-145
      automobiles, 143
      cell phones, 143
      DDT, 141-143
      personal computers, 143
Hawkins, Jeff, 130
      prototype design for Palm Pilot, 132
Hemingway, Ernest
      exploring ideas for novels, 87
heroes
      of achievement, 112
      innovators as, 137
      triumph of good, 111
historiography, 24
history of innovation, 18-34
      acknowledgement of individuals' creativity and achievements, 75
      credit for major innovations, 68
      dominant designs dominating history, 29-34
      evolution and innovation, 25
      omissions in history timelines, 26
      printing press, invention of, 20
      role of serendipity, 134
      Rosetta Stone, lesson of, 20
      true power of history, 24
      why history seems perfect, 22-25
history of science, rejection of innovative ideas, 54
Hoff, Ted, 14
HTML, 114, 121
human shortcomings, negative impact on history, 30
humans, evolutionary dominance of, 27

I[ Top ]
IBM PC, 31
      framing of original development problems, 131
ideas
      best ideas winning, myth of, 110-124
            secondary factors of innovation, 114-117
            why people believe the best wins, 111-114
      combinations of, 7
      difficulty of finding good ideas, myth of, 82-93
            dangerous life of ideas, 84
            filters and ideas, 90-93
            how to find good ideas, 85-89
      elaboration into function, 13
      execution of, 105
      finding, 44
      killers of, 88
      life of, 101
      love of new ideas, myth of, 54-66
            criticisms of innovative ideas, 57-61
            frustration of innovation leading to entrepreneurship, 62
            how innovations gain adoption, 64-66
            innovator's dilemma, 61-62
      as magic, 3-7
      sharing, environment that promotes, 102
idle time, importance in creative process, 12
imagination, importance of, 83
improvisation game, "What Is This?", 93
inevitability of progress, 28
inheritance and tradition, influence on adoption of innovations, 115
Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 15
innovations
      finding paths of, 50-51
      how they start, 38-43
            combinations of factors, 43
            curiosity, role of, 42
            hard work in specific direction, 41
            hard work with direction change, 41
            necessity, role of, 43
            role of luck, 39
            seeds of innovation, 40
            wealth and money as motivators, 42
      infinite paths of, 46-49
innovator's dilemma, 61-62
Innovator's Dilemma, The, 62
innovators as American heroes, 71
instant messages, good and bad consequences of, 146
intensity and willingness to reconsider assumptions, 50
Internet Explorer, 33
Internet, good and bad consequences of, 146
iPod, invention of, 71
Ireland, Great Potato Famine, 145

J[ Top ]
JavaScript, 114
Jefferson, Thomas, 119
Jobs, Steve, 44, 105
      perseverance and successful entrepreneurship, 107
      protection of Macintosh project, 104
journalism, reporting of epiphanic moments in innovation, 6

K[ Top ]
Kawasaki, Guy, 77
Kay, Alan, 102, 110
Kelly, Tom, 103
keyboard, QWERTY, 115

L[ Top ]
laptop computer, invention of, 104
Laser, invention of, 10, 144
Lauterbur, Paul C., 54
learning required to apply innovations, 65
Leibniz, Friedrich, invention of calculus, 73
Lienhard, John H., 77, 113
Lies My Teacher Told Me, 23
life of ideas, 101
lightbulb, invention of, 68
      convenience of lone inventors, 70
      Edison's problem-framing strategy, 129
      problem of precedence, 69
Linux, 42
literary classics, banning of, 54
Lives of a Cell, 103
Loewen, James W., 23
lone inventor, myth of, 68-79
      challenge of simultaneous invention, 72
      convenience of lone inventors, 70
      credit for major innovations, 68
      first landing of a person on the moon, 74
      stepping stones, 77
long-term vs. short-term thinking, 117
love of new ideas, myth of, 54-66
      criticisms of innovative ideas, 57-61
      frustration of innovation leading to entrepreneurship, 62
      how innovations gain adoption, 64-66
      innovator's dilemma, 61-62
      managing fears of innovation, 55
luck, role in innovations, 39, 51
Lynn, Gary S., 131

M[ Top ]
Machiavelli, Niccolo, 56
Macintosh computer, 71
      development of, 106
Macintosh computer (see also Apple)
Maes, Pattie, 88
mainstream organizations, lack of support for innovation, 63
managers, innovation and, 96-107
      challenges of managing innovation, 101-107
      conflicts of management and innovators, 98
      myth that managers know what to do, 96
      why managers fail with innovation, 97
marketing campaigns to promote innovations, 70
Mars Orbiter, failure of, 117
masking tape, invention of, 48
Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation, 29
Maze of Ingenuity, The, 75
meritocracy, 111
methodology, 36-51
      challenges of innovation, 44-46
      finding paths of innovation, 50-51
      how innovations start, 38-43
      infinite paths of innovation, 46-49
      myth of, 37
metric system, 117-121
      factors affecting failure to adopt in U.S., 121
      inheritance and tradition as factors in U.S. rejection of, 115
      proposal by Thomas Jefferson for adoption, 119
Michelangelo
      as creative genius, 75
      frustration with limitations of employers and peers, 63
microprocessor, invention of, 14
Microsoft Internet Explorer, 33
microwave oven, invention of, 134
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. (3M), 48
MIT Media Lab, 88
Mizoguchi, Tetsuya, 104
money and wealth as motivators in innovation, 42
Mosaic web browser, 32
mousetrap, better, 113
MRI, invention of, 54
muses of creativity, 5
      losing the muse, 11
      waiting for, 15
music player (digital), invention of, 71
Mystery of Picasso, The, 87

N[ Top ]
names of innovations, 70
names of innovators
      society's knowledge of, 75
NASA
      effort to put a person on the moon, 74
      failure of Mars Orbiter, 117
natural selection, 27
NCSA's Mosaic web browser, 32
necessity, role in innovation, 43
Nelson, Ted, 110
Netscape Navigator, 33
new ideas, reluctance to commit to, 55
Newmark, Craig, 48
Newton, Isaac, 4
      acknowledgment of contributions of predecessors, 51
      alchemy, practice of, 126
      invention of calculus, 73
NIH (not invented here) syndrome, 92
Nipkow, Paul, 74
not invented here (NIH) syndrome, 92

O[ Top ]
objective history, nonexistence of, 25
obligations (financial), meeting while working on innovation, 46
observability of innovation results, 66
observation as the key to insight, 4, 12
Olsen, Ken, 57
Opera browser, 33
Osborn, Alex F., 90

P[ Top ]
Pacey, Arnold, 75
Page, Larry, 54
Palm Pilot, 129
      framing of original development problems, 131
      prototype design, 132
partnerships in innovation, 76
patents, myth of lone inventor and, 76
paths of innovation, 46-49
      finding, 50-51
Pauling, Linus, 85
PC (personal computer)
      best ideas win, myth of, 110
      good and bad effects of using, 143
      history of, 30-34
      predecessors to Apple Macintosh, 71
Peabody, Bo, 39, 57
People's History of the United States, A, 23
personal computer (see PC)
personal digital assistants (PDAs), 129
persuasion, role in innovation, 106
philosopher's stone, search for, 126
philosophy of innovation, 147
photocopier, invention of, 41
photo-sharing service (Flickr), 47
Picasso, Pablo, 12
      exploring ideas for paintings, 87
      modeling paintings with preliminary sketches, 133
Piloting Palm, 131
Pogue, David, 131
political capital for innovations, 104
politics, influence on adoption of innovations, 116
Post-it Notes, invention of, 41
potato famine in Ireland, 145
potential customer, reaching, 45
power, talent and, 96
powerful friendships, role in innovation, 76
precedence, problem of, 69
prerequisite knowledge for innovations, 72
printing press, 20
probability of innovation, 49
problems, 126-134
      created by innovation, 140
      framing to help solve them, 128-133
            exploring problems with prototypes, 132
      as invitations, 127
      serendipity, role in solutions, 133
      solved by innovation, 140
progress, inevitability of, 28
Prometheus myth, 137
protection for innovation, 104
prototypes, using to explore problems, 132

Q[ Top ]
QWERTY keyboard, 115

R[ Top ]
Rand, Ayn, 112
reaching potential customers, 45
relative advantage of innovation, 65
relaxing events, 56
reproduction, challenges in innovation, 45
repurposing one thing for something else, 93
resources for innovation, 104
risks of innovation, 37
      allowing others to take, 55
      conflict with desire for relaxing events, 56
rivalries, role in innovation, 76
Rogers, Everett M., 64
Roman buildings (ancient), seeming perfection of, 22
Rosetta Stone, 18
Rosing, Boris, 74
Rules for Revolutionaries, 77

S[ Top ]
Schnapps, idiot, 72
search engine, invention of, 14, 71
seeds of innovation, 40
self knowledge, importance to innovators, 50
self-contained innovations, myth of, 77
serendipity, truth about, 133
Sholes, Christopher, 115
short-term vs. long-term thinking, 117
Silent Spring, 142
Simonton, Dean, 73
simultaneous invention, challenge of, 72
size of innovation opportunity, recognizing, 50
solutions
      developing, 44
      framing problems to aid in solution, 128-133
            exploring problems with prototypes, 132
      in search of problems, 144
      serendipity, truth about, 133
Sony Walkman, 71
Spencer, Percy, 133
sponsorship and funding for innovations, 45
spread of innovations (see diffusion of innovations)
spreadsheet, stepping stones to, 78
SRI systems, development of desktop computers, 71
Star Trek (television program), 13
stepping stones to innovations, 77
stressful events, 55
subconscious mind, role in creative thinking, 11
Swan, Joseph, 68

T[ Top ]
talent, power and, 96
Taylor, Frederick, 98
techno-evolutionism, 26
technological evolution
      acceleration without discrimination, 145
      demystified, 26
      dominant designs, domination of history, 29
      entrepreneurship and, 62
      myth of inevitability of past innovations, 26
telephone, invention of, 54
television
      harmful consequences of, 139
      high-resolution, no effect on content, 146
television, invention of
      simultaneous inventions, 74
Thomas, Lewis, 103
time, short-term vs. long-term thinking, 117
timing, challenge in innovation, 46
Torvalds, Linus, 42
Toshiba, development of laptop computer, 104
Tower of Babel, 137
traditions
      influence on adoption of innovations, 115
      respecting/rejecting in respect to innovation, 147
transition to innovation, effort required in, 65
trialability of innovations, 65
triggers for breakthrough, 12
Tripod (web site), 39

U[ Top ]
U.S. Library of Congress, assignment of credit for invention of automobile, 68
unintended consequences of innovations, 137-145
Utterback, James, 29

V[ Top ]
value of innovation vs. old ways, 65
Velcro, invention of, 42
video game, invention of, 71
VisiCalc (spreadsheet), 78, 92

W[ Top ]
WD-40, invention of, 87
wealth and money as motivators in innovation, 42
web browsers, 14
      history of development, 32
web server, development of, 122
web sites, building better, 113
webs of innovation, 79
"What Is This?" game, 93
WHO (World Health Organization), use of DDT, 141
Windows operating system, 32
working environment, effects on innovation, 102
World Health Organization (WHO), use of DDT, 141
World Wide Web
      goodness/adoption paradox, 121-124
      invention of, 6, 14
Wright, Orville and Wilbur, 136

X[ Top ]
Xerox PARC
      development of PC, 31, 71
      environment for innovation, 102

Z[ Top ]
Zinn, Howard, 23
Zworkin, Vladimir, 74

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