Tuesday, October 29, 2013
I Don’t Want to Talk about Innovation: A Talk about Innovation
HowlRound: I’m reading Dave Eggers’ new novel, The Circle. It takes place inside a Google-like company by the same name. As the book begins, the Circle’s latest hire, Mae, tours the sparkling, communitarian campus, “400 acres of brushed steel and glass.” “It’s heaven,” she thinks.
The walkway wound around lemon and orange trees and its quiet red cobblestones were replaced, occasionally, by tiles with imploring messages of inspiration. ‘Dream,’ one said, the word laser-cut into the red stone. ‘Participate,’ said another.
There are dozens of these word-bricks, but Eggers just names a few: “Find Community.” “Imagine.” “Breathe.” And yes, you guessed it, “Innovate.”
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This reminds me of the article that was posted one or two weeks ago about the "commercialization" and idealization of creativity as a commodity. I think it is a definite trend for companies to emphasize innovation so much that it actually stifles any sort of creative process. This article really sheds light on the consequences of creating innovation departments that are too broad and do not truly achieve the right kind of progress. In order to make a better toaster, you have to think about toasters and how to make them better, not about the concept and strategies of innovation in technology.
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