In seven short decades, innovations in electronics have fundamentally changed the way we communicate and co-operate; work and play; travel and trade; predict the weather, search for oil, unravel the genetic code; learn and teach; maintain our health and remedy our sicknesses. Invention has always been an intensely personal affair. It is a thinking event. It requires a prepared mind; a trigger-ready anticipation for the sporadic and fleeting appearance the elusive creative spark; an instinctive alertness to opportunity, especially a flair for sensing the practical value of a concept long before its 'need' appears on the horizon; an unswerving commitment to a vision of what-might-be. It usually starts with a thorough knowledge of a domain and the ability to make imaginative leaps, and articulate and promote cogent proposals.
But invention requires a context. That is the domain of Innovation, which is about the realization of ideas, their methodical reduction to practice, in the form of ubiquitous and affordable products having the potential to change society. Innovation is a process: it is about doing and things. While the creative insight is an indispensable aspect of Invention, and happens in a flash, involuntarily, effortlessly, casually, Innovation is a high-energy, deliberate, focused, results-oriented process. Invention is the starter's gun; Innovation is the arduous marathon that holds out the promise of profit (the Edison model); or perhaps nothing more than the satisfaction of tangible achievement and of pushing the envelope to breaking point (the Tesla model).
The innovative life poses intensely personal and invariably self-constructed challenges. There are no algorithms for success. Lofty corporate programs aimed at "enhancing the rate of innovation" will surely fail if they place excessive reliance on standardized approaches to group improvement, with a diminished emphasis on the infinitely more difficult challenge of recognizing, encouraging, supporting and coping with the singular vision.
Innovation occurs at a triple intersection. Knowledge is essential to human progress. But knowledge-in-a-place is useless: it must flow. Opportunities for progress abound. But they aren't delivered at the door, like pizza; they must be sniffed out, like truffles. Anticipation is a crucial component of Invention. But one must first know what is worth anticipating, what is not, and where to look. When Knowledge, Opportunity and Anticipation intersect, the magic of Invention occurs. But only when this leads to products in the service of community does the result deserve to be called Innovation.
The renowned Barrie Gilbert holds over 50 patents in analog design (including Tektronix' first electronic knob-readout system), and is the recipient of numerous IEEE awards. Even in the midst of heated ISSCC debate, this UK native reflects consistent intelligence and charm. The commentary here is drawn from "The Making Of Tomorrow: Inventing & Innovating at The Triple Intersection."
