Innovation And Japan
By Oli
At 9:14 AM · Saturday, 22 February · 2003
To Japan
I was interested to read the article Linking Innovation and Diversity (posted on 1/21/2003) on Z+ Blog (it’s just on the main page). Their quote from Nicholas Negroponte’s article on Creating a Culture of Ideas sounds exactly like Japan at the moment (quoting from Z+ Blog because I don’t have a subscription to TechnologyReview.com):
One of the basics of a good system of innovation is diversity. In some ways, the stronger the culture (national, institutional, generational, or other), the less likely it is to harbor innovative thinking. Common and deep-seated beliefs, widespread norms, and behavior and performance standards are enemies of new ideas. Any society that prides itself on being harmonious and homogeneous is very unlikely to catalyze idiosyncratic thinking. Suppression of innovation need not be overt. It can be simply a matter of peoplefs walking around in tacit agreement and full comfort with the status quo.
I bet Joi Ito would agree with this!
