The face of innovation : Medici Effect
Intersections and amalgamations have always resulted into formation of something interesting. Imagine bringing together talented souls from many different fields and cultures, pooling their ideas and concepts and the emergence of something new. A couple of artists, painters, sculptors and scientists gathered in Italy between 13th and 17thcenturies at the Medici family mansion and this phenomena came into being. This coming together of ideas from diverse backgrounds kicked off the Renaissance, one of the most innovative times in human history.
This was a story of the past, but nowadays the Medici effect can be popularly witnessed on social platforms which have been made possible by the internet age. True creativity happens when people, cultures and ideas clash together in wonderfully delicious combinations.
Imagine going on a trek and conversing with people from various backgrounds and disciplines while taking in breath-taking views as you trek across one of the great walks. You meld the two or more together, and you find something in between because diversity drives innovation.
But where can the Medici effect be seen nowadays? Though it is not always possible to gather diverse talents every time at a particular place, online forums here have taken the charge and are doing the same.
Even the Mongols did the same thing. They were amazingly talented administrators. They brought people together from all over their empire and let them cross-pollinate – in the intellectual sense of the term.
This works in this format. Firstly, Ideas are genetic and propagate in the same way. Secondly, seemingly unrelated concepts can be combined in unexpected and potentially useful ways.
Volvo here is on a journey to create a collision safety system for automobiles and they are using African grasshopper’s ability to avoid collisions while flying in swarms and that would be a remarkable invention which could save millions of lives which are lost in accidents every year. Wonderful, isn’t it?
By
Swapnil Pungale
Swapnil Pungale
