I just spent about a week traveling around meeting with numerous organizations from many different industries discussing a number of the emerging and growing IT movements such as social software, SOA, mashups, and cloud computing. Some of these conversations reminded me of a mind set that I want to highlight here. Although for many years I have considered what I’m about to postulate as a core principle of my approach to technology, I have never really stated it. I will do so now in the form of “Bradley’s Law of Innovation.”
With any emerging movement, it is those that can identify and exploit what’s different and not those who focus on what’s the same, who will innovate and drive change.
I’m sure I’m not the first to voice this sentiment but since I’m not aware of any similar quotes, I am providing one. What I am saying, point blank, is that if you are one of those saying things like:
- SOA is nothing more than distributed object oriented programming
- Social software is just another label for knowledge management
- Mashups are really only a spin on portals
- Cloud computing is basically hyped up hosting
then you will not be the one driving change. Strongly equating something new with something old is a sure formula for keeping things the way they are. I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing. If your goal is to perpetuate the status quo, then this is a very effective technique. But if your mission is to move things forward then you will struggle.
I sometimes use this parable. On a beach near Kitty Hawk in South Carolina, while some stood in amazement as the Wright brothers took to the air for the first time, one in the crowd was heard exclaiming, “What’s the big deal, birds have been flying for a million years.”
It is effortless to watch nothing change but a valuable skill to recognize new opportunities.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Tim G. // Apr 7, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Brilliant!
There are those who react to “new” with excitement and those who feel threatened or bewildered. For the later, a easy escape it to put the new into a “known” bucket. If you convince yourself its not new, you can keep living in your cocoon of familiarity.
Not saying good or bad — just pointing out two different types of people you run into.
2 Ankur Sharma // Apr 14, 2009 at 5:52 am
“With any emerging movement, it is those who can identify – what’s different among similar and what’s same in seemingly different will innovate and drive change. And not those you focus on the obvious.”
What say?
3 Anthony Bradley // Apr 14, 2009 at 9:16 am
Ankur, I like it but I specifically added “exploit” to highlight those that act upon the differences rather than those that can identify but are spectators.
4 Richard Fouts // Jun 5, 2009 at 12:45 pm
This is great. “What’s the big deal, birds have been flying for a million years.” Remember the early days of the web … and what led to the term Brochureware? Even the early days of television advertising were just talking heads. But, driving my 2003 Lexus today is not that different from driving my 1980 Pontiac just more comfortable and more gadgets (GPS? Fantastic!)
It’s definitely those that step outside the norm and envision those new twists that create the leaps. I think some of the best ideas of what’s to come .. .come from Hollywood.
After all, Captain Kirk and crew were using flip phones in the 1970s. And the film Minority Report used all kinds of techniques (location services) that are coming around. Perhaps we should engage TV writers in our innovation workshops? Maybe “beam me up Scotty” isn’t so far feteched?
Leave a Comment