What is “innovation with soul” vs simply a disruption of the status quo? Do you know it when you see it? Does our society inspire, support, and exalt it as we should?
Consider:
- The new MIT Technology Review: “Hacking the Soul.” In it, you’ll find the latest research on neuroscience and human behavior, toward the end of controlling and/or mimicking people.
- Clay Christensen responding to a sharply pointed critique about the widespread (mis)use of “disruption“, while also debating Michael Porter about how Harvard should respond to MOOCs. “Disruption” is overrated and overused, I agree, but that doesn’t negate the importance of Clay’s research in understanding how businesses have historically worked….and what may very well happen to Harvard in the not too distant future.
- The entrepreneurship we celebrate at award ceremonies.
Doing new, disciplined scientific and academic research is hard, because you have to go deep, creating structure where there is ambiguity, reducing questions to their essence so the answers might be enduring, and, oh yes, find money for your lab/group in a increasingly scarce funding environment.
Starting a business is hard, because you have to take a leap of faith, bring others along, have the courage to sell and face rejection, and, oh yes, make sure revenues exceed costs, even in economic downturns.
But how much of this very hard work is doing more than just keeping us busy making money and stuff? How much of this hard work is leading toward a more abundant world in addition to profits and lots and lots of activity?
The incredible gift of entrepreneurship/intrapraneurship – what draws many of us into it – is freedom of choice. We don’t like to be told what to do. We have our own ideas and insights. We get to choose what questions to ask, what products to make/services to provide, for whom/to whom/with whom, and so on. It’s as American as apple pie, and we love it. With this freedom comes responsibility, and this is where we fall short too often in my opinion, because we are bedazzled by science, technology, power, and/or wealth.
I believe we can aim higher. We can choose better. We can exalt innovation with soul and entrepreneurship with a conscious. What’s the difference? My criteria are here, but I’m curious about what YOU think. Please take a minute to tell us by checking everything you see as #innovationwithsoul.
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