Dynamic Innovation

It is striking how much innovation drives innovation. It almost seems that great innovations can only come when multiple sources are attacking the same issues. The 100 dollar laptop is a perfect example. Negroponte created the idea for the 100 dollar laptop as a way to improve the educational opportunities from poor children. He generally failed to meet his goal, but there was an additional consequence to his actions; the for-profit computer industry then began to make cheaper and cheaper laptops. Now for his next endeavor Negroponte does not necessarily plan on the success, merely driving the market in the right direction is enough. Power problems in rural areas show another way in which innovation begets more innovation. The “Lighting Africa” conference in Nairobi shows how small innovations can energize a field. Only a handful of companies attended one year and after only a year the number was up to 50. There has been an explosion of innovation attempting to get power to rural areas. Companies and non-profit organizations have explored everything from LED lights to local generator grids. Innovation strikes me as “wow look at that solution, what can we do?” Originally, I viewed innovation I assume like most people, that it is a single creation for a single problem, but it is so much more than that. Innovation, particularly social innovation, is a constantly evolving process. Social innovators do not merely come up with an innovation then call it quits. When they reach a point of completion, they look around and say “what can I do now, how can I make it better?” The result in social innovation is one of the most dynamic fields out there.