Creative People Must Be Stopped: Six Ways We Kill Innovation (Without Even Trying)

CHAPTER 2

Why Most of Us Are More Creative Than We Think

Individual Innovation Constraints

Figure 2.1

In 1966, after finishing his PhD in chemistry, young Spence Silver joined the R&D division of a diverse and entrepreneurial products company. Then, in 1968, while working in one of the labs, essentially “fooling around” with some of the company’s established technology, Silver developed what should have been a high-end version of one of its core products. Unfortunately, the product he had invented simply could not compete against the firm’s current product lineup. Still he thought it might be interesting to play with.

Instead of throwing the ...