This time I have tried to use some examples from net, to add volume to topic and also accumulating examples which will be useful in other essays.
"It is always an individual who is the impetus for innovation; the details may be worked out by a team, but true innovation results from the enterprise and unique perception of an individual."
Innovation is defined as the act of introducing something new or something which has been newly introduced. Innovation needn't necessarily be invention. While invention is attributed as an impetus in individual I believe innovations are more likely to occur when individuals work together. By brainstorming and organizing thoughts from individuals with specialized knowledge a unique innovation can be foreseen.
For example concept of internet in Bell Labs as a ARPANET project, has been contributions of several people. The packet-switched technology was first conceived by Leonard Kleinrock, while the ARPANET project was successfully being developed at MIT's Lab. Other important contributors for this project were Dennis Ritchie and Kenneth Thompson for developing UNIX operating system at Bell Labs. All this innovation and many more put together formed the internet as visioned by Licklider. He articulated the vision of a "galactic" computer network as a globally interconnected set of processing nodes through which anyone anywhere can access data and programs.
With growing complexity in fields, most of the the innovations are results of improvement in an existing product. These improvements will relay on the expertise of a members in a team. Let's take an example when a manufacturer wants to modify an existing cereal with healthier ingredients. He will need a team which shows expertise at all the fields. He will need a person, who justifies the healthier ingredients in the cereal, like a nutritionist. He needs a expert like a data analyst, who will justify the perception of new cereal based on the survey or existing data of consumers. He will also need expert advice from his Marketing personnel, who will illustrate the process of launching this product, a financial advisor for feasibility of plan. And with several people like them he can make a informed decision.
Individuals specializing in a niche area, working as a team is the most productive way to lead to a new innovation. However when we need that revolutionary idea like "Electric Bulb" we will definitely need a Thomas Edison.
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