Where Good Ideas Come From
Book Review
Submitted to: Prof. Malathi Sriram
Submitted by: Manish Kumar Sharma (11029) Priyanka Narsinghani (11042)
INDEX
1. Introduction 2. Reef, city, web 3. The adjacent possible 4. The liquid Network 5. The slow hunch 6. Serendipity 7. Error 8. Exaptation 9. Platform 10.The fourth Quadrant 11.Conclusion 12.Review by Manish Kumar Sharma 13.Review by Priyanka Narsinghani
INTRODUCTION
Steven Johnson’s book, Where Good Ideas Come From: the Natural History of Innovation, is the book that we went through for our knowledge seminar course. Lots of books have been written about innovation – what good ideas are, how we measure and implement it. The subject of innovation is quite popular and redundant, but this book is quite good at giving examples of how to create environments that can encourage good ideas. The author writes this book to help people understand the concept of how ideas occur. He has used a lot of example to explain all the concepts. He has given the examples of past innovations to facilitate future innovations. He has clearly helped organizations to be more creative and innovative. He has given ways of making people think more creatively and explore new possibilities. People can get a lot of insights about which kind of environment is required for creativity. People in business or education can find it a worthwhile book. It talks about the institutional structures that facilitate good ideas – how to get lots of people thinking about cutting edge problems, how to put people together in a space where different skill sets and influences can come together, how to make the right kinds of materials available but not forcing a conclusion. Normally books about innovation revolve around the idea that a small number of smart individuals have had Eureka moments, leading to extraordinary breakthroughs that changed the course of civilization. But Johnson contradicts this view, which