Posted by Reilly Atkinson on January 21, 2000 at 20:37:29:

In Reply to: Innovation and KM posted by Yalvora on January 21, 2000 at 10:34:56:

Yalvora -- First of all, no one has a good understanding of whence innovation. Second, the human race has spawned a great deal of innovation throughout history, and without benefit of KM. If you will foster innovation, then you will need to examine and manage the role of desperation, high pressure, peer acceptance vs non acceptance, economic comfort vs. poverty, and many other polar extremes, old vs. young, graduate education vs. less, outgoing personalities vs shy guys.. And then there is the issue -- go with a highly creative individual, or some kind of group, how big a group? We are talking world class complexity here.

The issue is not so much the role of KM, as it is the issue of what works to help foster innovation -- to the extent that it can be done. Then KM should absorb what worked, rather than operate on speculative notions. Discussion and dialogue are not the answer: sometimes they work and are helpful, other times they can be a huge waste of time and can hinder progress -- c.f. a group of big ego prima donnas trying to generate a new something.

There is a huge literature on innovation in business and elsewhere, on creativity as well. Not to make too fine a point of it, but there are plenty of dissertations to be found in this literature. Just read, classify, find patterns and write. Or find innovaters to interview, perhaps their managers, and dig out the empirical reality. Either way, you will be able to "tell KM what it should be" with the force of informed authority. And you will open the doors to great consulting gigs.

(Sorry, but old professors love to give gratuitous advice.)

Regards,
Reilly Atkinson

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