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The lightbulb is a myth, this slideshow explains why.
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NO MORELIGHTBULBS
Are you against innovation?
Against ideas?
Against creativity?
You must be evil…
… or at least dangerous.
Well, I am not…
Lightbulbs are dangerous…
… Because they create amyth about innovation.
… Myths are dangerous – theycreate false expectations and
misguide us.
The lightbulb analogysuggests that good ideas and
innovations occur in an instant flash of genius.
There are many historical examples usedin order to illustrate the lightbulb…
Newton discovered gravitywhen an apple fell on him…
So, the equation goes:
One morefamous
example:
In a flash of genius, Archimedes made
his discovery of the buoyancy force.
Eureka!
He shouted, and ran nakedthrough the streets of Syracuse
in sheer excitement.
Many of these stories are probably just myths…
But anyway, were the discoveries by Newton and
Archimedes instant?
Or were they the consequence of extensive experimentation and making
many mistakes?
The lightbulb analogysuggests that ideasand innovations just
occur instantly.
Well…
They don’t.
It’snot
Instant
It’san
iterative process
Experimentation
It’sTrial…
… AndError.
Not just a Flash”from nowhere”
“Without experimentation, we might all still be living in caves and using rocks as tools.”
Stefan Thomke
So, with lightbulbthinking
Mankindwould
still live in caves
And still, whereverwe go…
Innovation and ideas are
expressedwith…
Lightbulbs.
See why lightbulbs are dangerous?
But there’smore to it…
Let’s move on
Another mythconnected to thelightbulb is that:
Innovation is easy.
That innovation is just like…
And then enjoying
The fruits of it.
Well…
How manycompaniesor products
did theseguys bring to the market?
……….
See my point?
Newton and Archimedeswere brilliant scientists, not brilliant innovators.
Innovation is not the same as making a
discovery.
“He who innovates will have for his enemies all those who are well off under the existing order of things, and only lukewarm supporters in those who might be better off under the new.”
// Machiavelli
“Every idea in history has the fat red stamp of rejection on its face. It’s hard to see today because once ideas gain acceptance, we gloss over the hard paths they took to get there.”
// Scott Berkun, The myths of innovation
”This ’telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communications. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
//Western Union, 1876
In 1996, Losec was the best
selling drug in the world.
The projectstarted in 1966!
It was killedfive times.
But the researchersignored this,
and keptworking.
The R&D manager who kept the project alive,
Ivan Östholm onceasked one of his
researchers how a project went, he
answered:
”It’s too early to say, we’ve only
been working on it for three years.”
You see my point?
It’s probablyimpossible to find a
more inaccuratedescription of the development of
Losec than the…
So, now we know whyLightbulbs are
dangerous.
Let’s move on
And take a look at howthe lightbulbmyth harmsinnovation
”There’s always moneyfor good ideas!”
You need wood, matches, good
climate and patience to light
a campfire
In the same way…
You need money, good climate and patience in order
to DEVELOPgood ideas
But it does notstop there…
The lightbulbcommunicates that the idea is the most
important thing
This impliesthat…
Inventors get all the social
gratitude, not those who put
ideas into practice
And Innovation is like biology
You need both to…
Well, you know…
… Createsomething new…
… And bring itto the world.
The lightbulb mythalso encourages
inventors to chill out
”I just came up with a brilliant idea, so
I’m done!”
When in fact the idea is just the startof a long journey.
Homer Simpson agrees with me
He once said:
”Trying is always the first step to failure,
so the lesson is never try.”
The lightbulb mythalso discouragespeople who don’t
have a…
”I don’t have a goodidea, so I’ll sit hereuntil I get a PLING!”
But ideas do not”PLING!” up from
nowhere
They are found by doing things…
And by connectingwith others.
So, summing it up…
The lightbulb is a dangerous myth
Ideas and Innovations do not
occur from an instant ”PLING!”
Human progress is not about ”PLING!”
It’s about hard work
And It’sabout
Trial andError.
With lightbulbthinking
Mankindwould
still live in caves
That’s why I say
NO MORELIGHTBULBS
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