Many
professionals actively seek
innovations to deal with immediate concerns, such as
product designs, and with long-term
concerns such as education, pensions,
and healthcare. Despite huge efforts,
success rates are low. A new report,
Surfing Towards the Future, by the Chilean National Council on Innovation
for Competitiveness led by Fernando Flores,
3 gives an unprecedented account of how innovations emerge.
It proposes a skill set, “surfing history,”
based on reading waves of possibilities
and riding them to success. Crucial elements are the climate of exploration
and adventure, the timing, and balance when buffeted by the unpredictable. I organized my reflections on the
report as an interview.