Mysterious Innovation

Mysterious Innovation

Introduction

Innovations are found in new and mysterious ways. In this blog, I will look at three different ways innovation is at times discovered through:

1. Serendipity
2. Error
3. Exaptation

I will give the definitions of the three terms above, followed by scholarly definitions, and a real-world example of the phenomenon. Finally, the blog will end with a summary.

• Serendipity

My definition of serendipity is when something happens by chance or is an unexpected result or consequence of another action. For example, Charles Goodyear accidentally charred some rubber, and it formed a leather-like elastic rim that serendipitously weatherproofed the rubber. Fink (2017) points out serendipity does not have an antonym. Johansson (2012) defines serendipity as the fortunate development of events when organizations stress the importance of making a quest for discoveries by accident and sagacity in research. Serendipity is the intersection of different cultures, industries, and disciplines. For example, when Bill Gates realized Microsoft Windows had a serious memory flaw in the operating system, he considered abandoning the operating system. Later Bill Gates and members of his team meet with IBM to help fix the problem but to no avail. Subsequently, those same IBM employees were on a business trip at an after-work hour’s party. The IBM employees met other non-employees who joked about how to fix the problem. Within hours after sitting down to try to resolve the problem with the jokesters’ recommendations, the IBM employees solved the problem (Johansson, 2012) which forever changed Microsoft’s future.

• Error

We all have heard of trial and error. Generally speaking, this is how innovation occurs, usually with more errors opposed to instant innovation on the first or second try. Errors trigger subsequent corrections and potential improvements by researchers and innovators. What comes first—errors or innovation? Arguably errors typically come first and during the innovation process. The integration of errors and failure (intentional or non-intentional) are the drivers and diffusion of organizational innovation through knowledge, social systems, and organizational structure (Kister, 2019). A classic example of an error was in 1956 when Wilson Greatbatch was building a heart rhythm recording device and installed the wrong resistor. The machine produced a heart-like (lub-dub) sounding rhythm. Thus, an innovative new pacemaker was discovered. Previously, pacemakers were the size of TVs; Greatbatch’s device was two cubic inches, and now more than half of a million of the life-saving devices are implanted yearly (Donnelly, 2012).

• Exaptation

There are very few methodological and epistemological criteria used to identify and analyze exaptations. The use of exaptations in the field of social sciences remains latent (Andriani and Carihnani, 2012). The application of exaptation in technology and innovation is defined as the characterization by a creation mechanism with new functions (Lane, 2011). I would characterize exaptation as entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs must use creativity with existing resources in the creation of mechanisms with acts of exaptation.

The heuristic mechanism of exaptation diverges from the mainstream rationalist paradigm for problem-solving (De Sordi, 2019). Entrepreneurial exaptation is the need for actions and mechanisms to exercise a new function, product, or service. An example of an exaptation in technology is the use of data analysis for customers’ purchases. British retailer Tesco, a new entrant in the insurance market, used intensive data analysis by monitoring the evolution and relationship of customers to know the insurance requirements of its customers beforehand (Peppers & Rogers, 2011). Exaptation can and should be used throughout all areas of an organization and not limited to the core business and R&D. Exaptation mechanisms can spur additional innovation (Andriani & Carignani, 2012).

Summary

This blog defined and discussed the way innovation can happen with modern-day examples. There is no innovation without failure. Innovation doesn’t happen without action. Organizations must plan to innovate and draw inferences for innovation to occur. Innovation comes from internal knowledge and resources, reflective analysis, and perseverance with critical thinking. Often during that process, innovation intentionally, or unintentionally, occurs in serendipity, error, or by exaptation. 

References

Andriani, P., & Carignani, G. (2012). Exaptation and modular systems. In EURAM Annual Conference, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam (NL), 6th–8th June.

De Sordi, J. O., Reed, E. N., Meireles, M., Hashimoto, M., & Rigato, C. (2019). Exaptation in management: Beyond technological innovations. European Business Review, 31(1), 64-91. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy.cecybrary.com/10.1108/EBR-01-2018-0020

Donnelly, T. (2012). 9 Brilliant inventions made by mistake. Inc.com. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/tim-donnelly/brilliant-failures/9-inventions-made-by-mistake.html

Fink, T. M. A., Reeves, M., Palma, R., & Farr, R. S. (2017). Serendipity and strategy in rapid innovation. Nature communications, 8(1), 2002. doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02042-w

Johansson, F. (2012). When success is born out of serendipity. Harv. Bus. Rev, 18, 22. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2012/10/when-success-is-born-out-of-serendipity

Kister, A. (2019). Error Monitoring as an Organisational Innovation in Public Hospital Activity. Economics & Sociology, 12(4), 213–227. https://doi-org.proxy.cecybrary.com/10.14254/2071-789X.2019/12-4/13

Lane, D. A. 2010. “Innovazione e distretti industriali”. In Processi di innovazione e sviluppo locale. Teorie e politiche, Edited by: Russo, M. 57–68. Roma: Donzelli.

Peppers, D., & Rogers, M. (2011). Managing customer relationships: A strategic framework. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.