Kuhn and Galison Defines Virtuous Cycle from New Knowledge and New Tools 10.0
The innovator takes an invention and commercializes it. Joseph Schumpeter (1950) equated innovators with entrepreneurs. He said, “the function of entrepreneurs is to reform or revolutionize the pattern of production. [He] is primarily responsible for the recurrent “prosperities” that revolutionize the economic organism . . .”
To look for opportunities in technical innovation, I like to put Thomas Kuhn and Peter Galison side by side, figuratively. From the picture above, their books always stand side by side on my bookshelf.
Professor Kuhn focuses on how science develops new knowledge or ideas in his 1962 book, “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” Professor Galison focuses on development of research tools in his 1997 book, “Image and Logic”.
Professor Kuhn tells his story across time. He focuses on how scientific revolutions happen. Existing paradigms are used by “normal science” experiments. Erroneous results are explained away until they become too many to ignore. A crisis happens and, eventually, a scientific revolution. The revolution causes a paradigm shift that can explain most of the errors. Then, the cycle of research continues.
Professor Galison tells his story crosswise between two groups of physicists with different approaches, image and logic, to solving a problem. With different approaches, they develop different tools. They compete and focus is on perfecting these tools to solve the problem.
An opportunity-seeking innovator can see that ideas and tools, for a particular field, move forward on the same track and improve each other in a virtuous cycle. Observing this knowledge train is a good way to hunt for opportunities. At the right moment, the innovator (from the developing world like me, for one) takes the state-of-the-art knowledge. He passes the knowledge through adaptive R&D to bring new products to market. Some call this process reverse engineering while others may call it adaptive research. The most apt and all encompassing to me is Professor Patarapong’s intensive learning which includes additional learning needed for successful diffusion or commercialization. (The italicized is a note from the future,August 1, 2009).
If done right, these new products will have “first mover” advantage that allow pricing power. He can accumulate supernormal profits to jump in at the next stage state-of-the-art. Again, with adaptive R&D, he comes out with innovative products. And the innovation cycle goes on.
The different modes of acquiring knowledge are a major field of innovation (More, later).
Are you aware of any technical change (an idea revolution or new instrument) in your business space that presents an opportunity. Do add a comment, we can discuss.
(Thomas Kuhn, Structure of Scientific Revolution, 1996, University of Chicago Press ; Peter Galison, Image & Logic, 1997 University of Chicago Press)
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9 Responses to “Kuhn and Galison Defines Virtuous Cycle from New Knowledge and New Tools 10.0”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] I did mention in an earlier post 10.0 of a similar virtuous cycle between science itself and material science, i.e. the design of [...]
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