The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson investigates how new and extraordinary ideas can be formed by established ideas from different cultures, disciplines or fields of study when they collide. According to Johansson innovative ideas spawn from intersections. Intersections happen when two unrelated fields, for example culinary arts and the flocking formation of birds, are connected and made relevant to each other. At an intersection a vast pool of creative and unlikely ideas can be created due to the unlikely pairing. This intersection spawns the Medici Effect, which is a burst of creative ideas resulting from this convergence of knowledge. The book then details the trials and tribulations encountered on the path to creativity (generation of new and valuable ideas) and innovation (realization of creative ideas).
Johansson speaks with many innovators of the époque throughout the entire book and they all agree upon the Medici Effect and its remarkable potential. While innovation is universal throughout history, Johansson highlights that globalisation and recent advances in technology make way for innovation now more than ever. This intriguing model outlines three forces which favour intersectional ideas to form. Intersections are becoming more likely first because of the movement of people since cultures and perspectives can clash, mesh and feed off one another, second by the convergence of science or interdisciplinary sciences which make way for new discoveries and perspectives and lastly the leap of computation which enables human capital to be freed from tedious tasks to engage in further innovation.
One concept, lowering associative barriers to facilitate innovation suggests that laypeople in a specialisation are more likely to be able to come up with creative solutions. Ideas are linked to one another in the mind based on previous experience and gained knowledge in chains of association. These chains of association streamline thought and make the process efficient but may also inhibit creativity by directing thought towards assumptions and blind-siding us to unconventional associations between ideas. Low associative barriers can be built when a person is exposed to a diverse range of knowledge and move outside their expertise so that they ideas are not always linked to one another in a “typical” fashion. This concept reveals to us why it is important to have a mixture of experiences as well as be exposed to different perspectives to be effective problem-solvers and creative thinkers.
Another interesting concept is the link between productivity and innovation. Although the burst which happens at an intersection opens doors to fantastic ideas, obviously not all ideas can be hit-wonders. One key to innovation is constant productivity. Innovation does not necessarily happen in an incremental fashion. Just because a vast number of new ideas is accessible by combining two different fields does not mean that every one of these permutations is viable therefore constant and voluminous productivity is necessary to be able to innovate. Also, being primed for failure enables people to learn from mistakes as well as lowers the risk of spending all resources on the first trial if we know that it is highly improbable that we will succeed on the first attempt.
What Johansson proposes in this book does not only benefit innovators but are smart nuggets of advice for any person, professional or layman living in the 21st century. The paradigms have shifted from specialized to interdisciplinary, from homogenous to diverse. In an age where knowledge is a commodity an innovative approach to thought and life has become extremely valuable. Organisations of the world can use this standpoint of innovation on many different planes.
The Medici Effect reaches past innovation and applies also to how people can up their quantity and thus probability of quality of work by doing some rudimentary things like diversifying their experiences, learning and practicing outside of their specialties, keeping low associative barriers, always being productive and priming themselves for failure. These concepts are very simple, very obvious and yet they are revolutionary.
Johansson speaks with many innovators of the époque throughout the entire book and they all agree upon the Medici Effect and its remarkable potential. While innovation is universal throughout history, Johansson highlights that globalisation and recent advances in technology make way for innovation now more than ever. This intriguing model outlines three forces which favour intersectional ideas to form. Intersections are becoming more likely first because of the movement of people since cultures and perspectives can clash, mesh and feed off one another, second by the convergence of science or interdisciplinary sciences which make way for new discoveries and perspectives and lastly the leap of computation which enables human capital to be freed from tedious tasks to engage in further innovation.
One concept, lowering associative barriers to facilitate innovation suggests that laypeople in a specialisation are more likely to be able to come up with creative solutions. Ideas are linked to one another in the mind based on previous experience and gained knowledge in chains of association. These chains of association streamline thought and make the process efficient but may also inhibit creativity by directing thought towards assumptions and blind-siding us to unconventional associations between ideas. Low associative barriers can be built when a person is exposed to a diverse range of knowledge and move outside their expertise so that they ideas are not always linked to one another in a “typical” fashion. This concept reveals to us why it is important to have a mixture of experiences as well as be exposed to different perspectives to be effective problem-solvers and creative thinkers.
Another interesting concept is the link between productivity and innovation. Although the burst which happens at an intersection opens doors to fantastic ideas, obviously not all ideas can be hit-wonders. One key to innovation is constant productivity. Innovation does not necessarily happen in an incremental fashion. Just because a vast number of new ideas is accessible by combining two different fields does not mean that every one of these permutations is viable therefore constant and voluminous productivity is necessary to be able to innovate. Also, being primed for failure enables people to learn from mistakes as well as lowers the risk of spending all resources on the first trial if we know that it is highly improbable that we will succeed on the first attempt.
What Johansson proposes in this book does not only benefit innovators but are smart nuggets of advice for any person, professional or layman living in the 21st century. The paradigms have shifted from specialized to interdisciplinary, from homogenous to diverse. In an age where knowledge is a commodity an innovative approach to thought and life has become extremely valuable. Organisations of the world can use this standpoint of innovation on many different planes.
The Medici Effect reaches past innovation and applies also to how people can up their quantity and thus probability of quality of work by doing some rudimentary things like diversifying their experiences, learning and practicing outside of their specialties, keeping low associative barriers, always being productive and priming themselves for failure. These concepts are very simple, very obvious and yet they are revolutionary.
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