What do you mean by avalanche?
Avalanche is an important metaphor
for innovation.1 It is a cascading
series of events where each one triggers
new events. Entrepreneurs try
to anticipate the right moment—the
tipping point4—when an innovation
proposal will trigger an avalanche of
people adopting the proposal. If the
timing is too early, the proposal will
not be a tipping point. If it is too late,
someone else will have started the
avalanche. The metaphor is borrowed
from complexity theory, where snow
avalanches or sandpile avalanches
can only be described by the frequency
and duration of a cascade, but it
is impossible to predict whether any
particular event will trigger a cascade
or how long it will last. Edison banked
on cheap electricity causing an avalanche
of people moving from gas to
electric lighting. Intel Chairman Andy
Grove once said any technology that
could do something 10 times better
than any current technology creates
a high risk of an avalanche in favor of
that technology. In the Internet, the
introduction of the Mosaic browser in
1994 triggered an avalanche into the
World Wide Web and into commercial
use of the Internet; prior to that time,
commercial uses were discouraged.
Today, a number of education leaders
see MOOCs as the beginning of an avalanche
that will transform education.
What about research in science and
technology? If we would pay for more
research and development, we would
have more components to solve our
problems.
We agree that science and technology
R&D are important, but R&D is
not a reliable precursor of innovation.
Technologies are deeply woven into social
systems and their practices. Even
when we have an exploitable scientific
recurrence, we cannot predict how the
corresponding technology will be used
because that depends on how the social
system moves with it.
What about putting those three elements
together? Suppose we pay attention
to creativity, science, and technology.
Can we then get the innovations
we need?
Still no. That is the Silicon Valley
Illusion. Silicon Valley tries to reduce
innovation to an equation: science +
technology + creativity = innovation.
There are many social processes and
practices in the background that enable
Silicon Valley to be a technology
innovator. No one has been able to
replicate Silicon Valley in other places
because they do not understand all the
social processes, and even if they did,
the processes probably would not fit
with the culture of another region. It
is far better to establish close ties with
people in innovation regions than to
try to replicate their regions in yours.
What do you mean by avalanche?Avalanche is an important metaphorfor innovation.1 It is a cascadingseries of events where each one triggersnew events. Entrepreneurs tryto anticipate the right moment—thetipping point4—when an innovationproposal will trigger an avalanche ofpeople adopting the proposal. If thetiming is too early, the proposal willnot be a tipping point. If it is too late,someone else will have started theavalanche. The metaphor is borrowedfrom complexity theory, where snowavalanches or sandpile avalanchescan only be described by the frequencyand duration of a cascade, but itis impossible to predict whether anyparticular event will trigger a cascadeor how long it will last. Edison bankedon cheap electricity causing an avalancheof people moving from gas toelectric lighting. Intel Chairman AndyGrove once said any technology thatcould do something 10 times betterthan any current technology createsa high risk of an avalanche in favor ofthat technology. In the Internet, theintroduction of the Mosaic browser in1994 triggered an avalanche into theWorld Wide Web and into commercialuse of the Internet; prior to that time,commercial uses were discouraged.Today, a number of education leaderssee MOOCs as the beginning of an avalanchethat will transform education.What about research in science andtechnology? If we would pay for moreresearch and development, we wouldhave more components to solve ourproblems.We agree that science and technologyR&D are important, but R&D isnot a reliable precursor of innovation.Technologies are deeply woven into socialsystems and their practices. Evenwhen we have an exploitable scientificrecurrence, we cannot predict how thecorresponding technology will be usedbecause that depends on how the socialsystem moves with it.What about putting those three elementstogether? Suppose we pay attentionto creativity, science, and technology.Can we then get the innovationswe need?Still no. That is the Silicon ValleyIllusion. Silicon Valley tries to reduceinnovation to an equation: science +technology + creativity = innovation.There are many social processes andpractices in the background that enableSilicon Valley to be a technologyinnovator. No one has been able toreplicate Silicon Valley in other placesbecause they do not understand all thesocial processes, and even if they did,the processes probably would not fitwith the culture of another region. Itis far better to establish close ties withpeople in innovation regions than totry to replicate their regions in yours.
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