The whole is greater than the sum of the parts: Gone are the days where a single idea in the R&D lab turned into a blockbuster. Those were the magical days, many solutions waiting to address human needs! For example when Willis Carrier invented the 30 tonne ‘Apparatus for treating air' it was a big hit and the ‘air-conditioning’ industry was born.
Today one needs to have multiple inventions, networks, partners, human factor experts, designers and even ethnographers to ensure that an idea blooms and scales in the market place.
Look at the i-Pod – the amazing UI and miniature hard disk is only part of the story. Steve Jobs and team created the online business model (otherwise anti piracy media moguls would have killed the i-Pod just like they eliminated Napster), invested in ‘this is cool’ branding, integrated with iTunes software platform and build an ecosystem to ensure success.
Yes, there are iconic one man/woman show inventers like Richard Sapper (200+ inventions ranging from ThinkPad,Tizio Lamp to Mercedes rear view mirror) but they are a dying breed! In today’s’ networked economy it does not pay to be a stand alone hero. The Edison days are over.
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