Edison invented the light bulb (and other myths of innovation)

From the light bulb to the Google algorithm, new ideas have changed the way we live and have created great wealth for those who bring them to market. Many of the old ideas we have about innovation are false, however. Scott Berkun, a member of the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft in the 1990's, has produced a compact book, "The Myths of Innovation," that uncovers the inaccuracy in some well-known legends, and offers insights on when, where and how innovation happens. He finds few "Eureka!" moments. Instead, many of the great innovations came after wrong turns and persistent effort.

In this cynical age, we love to hear about myths debunked. Whether it's TV's hit show "Mythbusters" or the oft-visited Web site Snopes.com, there's something irresistible about the shattering of popular and long-held beliefs — especially if it enables us to use our newfound knowledge by showing off at the next cocktail party or actually putting it to work at school or on the job.

Scott Berkun's "The Myths of Innovation" is the new kid on the block in a long, long list of books about when, where and how innovations happen. It's a compact, engaging and eye-opening look at what's true and what's not about big ideas from the invention of fire to the invention of the PC. And it's a fun read. Berkun, who was a member of the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft from 1994-1999, begins with the question many business leaders ask themselves about the topic at hand.

Where does innovation come from? He relates the story of his guided tour at Google — a workplace designed to encourage new ways of thinking, with vivid colors, creative "toys" and the laughter of happy employees. Berkun notes that most of his tour companions maintained an air of excitement and expectancy, as though they were about the see the "secret" of Google's success unfold before their eyes.

If so, they were disappointed. "The question of where ideas come from is on the mind of anyone visiting a research lab, an artist's workshop, or an inventor's studio," he writes. However, "Tours of amazing places, even with full access to creators themselves, never convince us we've seen the real thing. We still believe in our hearts there are top-secret rooms behind motion-sensor security systems or bank-vault doors with ideas, tended by their shaman-like keepers, stacked up like bars of wizardly gold."

Newton's headache

Americans especially love the myths of the lone inventor and the "Eureka!" moment. It appeals to our culture's affinity for the independent thinker who can overcome obstacles by applying cleverness and ingenuity. But innovations are the result of hard work, frustration and many failures, and rest on a foundation of ideas and innovations that came before. Newton didn't "discover" gravity when an apple fell on his head.

Instead, he spent 20 years studying the properties of physics before he was able to explain gravity. And along the way, he wasted much of his time in search of the philosopher's stone, believing it was possible to turn lead into gold. But his explanation of gravity is what he is remembered for, and that came in the form of mathematical formulas and, presumably, much blood, sweat and tears.

Berkun invites us to view the computer keyboard a mashup of the typewriter, electricity, plastics, written language, operating systems, circuits, USB connectors, and binary data. "The keyboard, like all innovations, is a combination of things which existed before. The combination might be novel, or used in an original way, but the materials and ideas all existed in some form somewhere before the first keyboard was made."

What brought the keyboard into being was deep thought, hard work and many insights developed over time and by many people. "Big thoughts are fun to romanticize," observes Berkun, "but it's many small insights coming together that bring big ideas into the world."

Bonus: a book of lists

While Berkun's book is small in size — 176 pages — it is packed with information and peppered with footnotes designed to lead the reader to in-depth resources on various topics from Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth" to Twyla Tharp's "The Creative Habit." A ranked bibliography follows the text, and includes many Internet references. More than a book, it's a resource library on creative thinking and the history of innovation.

Thought-provoking diagrams and lists answer the questions of those seeking the behind-the-scenes story of innovation. Some of these are "How Innovations Start," "The Challenges of Innovation," "Finding Paths of Innovation," "The List of Negative Things Innovators Hear," and "The History and Misuse of Brainstorming."

Problems such as the conflicts between managers and innovators are explored in a chapter exploding the myth that "the manager knows more than you do." Within this chapter Berkun lists five challenges of managing innovation. "It's natural for people to protect what they know instead of leaping into the unknown, and managers are no exception," Berkun writes, then goes on to state, "The life of ideas is the responsibility of whoever is in charge.

He defines it by his responses and behavior, especially when he's challenged by someone else's ideas." Naturally, the boss who responds negatively will get what he wants: an atmosphere of "scorched deserts where creative jungles should be." Berkun's list of secondary factors of innovation is especially interesting. These include the backdrop of culture, dominant design, inheritance and tradition, politics (who benefits?), economics and short-term vs. long-term thinking.

These factors have great bearing on whether a particular innovation will become successful. It can explain why Thomas Jefferson's metric system never took hold in America, for example. These secondary factors also explain why Edison received credit for the invention of the light bulb when in fact, he was far from the first to come up with the idea.

A savvy businessman who paid attention to details such as a system for delivering electricity to homes and businesses in an economically feasible way, Edison was able to shape his innovation to the time, culture, and political climate, ensuring its success.

Bottom Line:

Some of the widely held myths of innovation, according to Scott Berkun:

1. The myth of epiphany — "For most, there is no singular magic moment; instead, there are many smaller insights accumulated over time."
2. We understand the history of innovation — "Teaching history that is palatable to everyone demands eliminating perspective, opinion, and humanity, leaving limp, soulless, humorless, embarrassment-free facts The result is that our interests, as students of innovation, diverge with those of many historians and the general population."
3. There is a method for innovation — "The myth of methodology is the belief that a playbook exists for innovation. It's the same wish that fuels secret lusts for timesaving gadgets, tasty but low-fat meals (ha), and five-step programs for ."
4. People love new ideas — "Every great idea in history has the fat red stamp of rejection on its face.
5. The lone inventor — "Unfortunately, popular credit for major innovations isn't brokered by historians; it's driven by markets, circumstances and popularity — forces not bound by accuracy Edison, Ford, and countless innovators are recognized as sole inventors for convenience.
6. Good ideas are hard to find — "The truth is that we all have innate skills for solving problems and finding ideas: we've just lost our way.
7. The best ideas win — "We accept stories that fit the patterns we know, as they provide happy feelings and encourage hope for how life should be."
8. Innovation is always good — "All innovations combine good and bad effects regardless of the intention of the innovator or how well designed they are."