Exploiting Chaos

Posted by: nigelbarlow on: September 11, 2009

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Thomas Edison

Where would we be if Thomas Edison, who failed one thousand times before he invented the lightbulb, had been told that failure is unacceptable?

Good question and one that innovation expert and trend guru Jeremy Gutsche tries to answer in his new book called Exploiting Chaos.

(if you want a sneak preview you can download chapter 1 for free )

Writing over at Business Week,Jessie Scanlon,who asks the question of Edison’s invention of the lightbulb,says that

The reality is that the principal isn’t alone in his thinking. Our educational system, our culture more broadly, and yes — most corporations — demonize failure. Yet the individuals and companies that have learned to expect failure and to learn from it, are often incredibly successful.

You can watch a slideshow of 24 ways to exploit chaos including the premise that innovation is not about market timing but is about creating something that fills an unmet need,and that accomplishment blinds us to the urgency of reinvention.

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