Skip to Content
Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond
book

Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

by Alan Axelrod
February 2008
Intermediate to advanced content levelIntermediate to advanced
192 pages
4h 1m
English
Jossey-Bass
Content preview from Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

7.6. Lesson 64: Exploit the Unexpected

"Guard against results," Edison warned John Ott, one of his most trusted experimenters, meaning that Ott should not allow himself to become so focused on looking for anticipated results that he overlooked or ignored the unexpected results that might point the way to new inventions.

Edison's injunction to Ott points up the powerful aleatoric component in the inventor's method, his openness to randomness, to chance. Personally, Edison possessed the self-confidence not merely to allow himself to be lured down experimental byroads, but actually to invite distraction. Yet sometimes even his vision failed, and he was unable to peer outside the box.

Edison frequently told reporters and biographers that his favorite ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Start your free trial

You might also like

Business Brilliant - Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons

Business Brilliant - Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons

Lewis Schiff

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780787994594Purchase book