Verified Document

Innovation In Business Is It An Art Or Science Essay

Innovation Is an Art Innovation in business, is it an Art or Science?

Innovation is an art, not a science

To answer the question of whether innovation is an art or science, it first must be determined what is art and what is science. In terms of 'art,' the image that immediately comes to mind is Michelangelo's David. The great Renaissance artist said that he felt he liberated the sculpture from the marble, rather than engaged in an act of direct, conscious creation. "The stone was just the covering that contained a work of art; the sculptor only had to take away the part in excess" (Michelangelo, n.d., Artists of the Renaissance). But there is also a great deal of scientific, technical 'craft' involved in the production of any art. A writer must know how to use the correct rules of grammar; a painter must understand how to manipulate a brush; a musician must be able to play scales before he or she can compose.

Yet I believe that simply because an innovator...

The greatest argument against innovation as a pure, technical exercise is that it is almost impossible to consciously desire to innovate. Innovative ideas tend to come as 'aha' moments when the mind is released, rather than when a manager attempts to compel innovation to sustain the bottom line of a corporation. Usually, that results in imitation rather than innovation (witness all of the copycat Greek yogurts for sale, now, after Fage Greek yogurt became popular). But at the famously innovative and profitable Google Corporation, there is an effort to create a free space where scientists can mentally 'play' and thus produce innovations, rather than a strong work ethic of performing to meet predetermined goals. "We offer our engineers '20-percent time' so that they're free to work on what they're really passionate about. Google Suggest, AdSense…

Sources used in this document:
References

Bird, Alexander. (2011). Thomas Kuhn. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Retrieved: <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2011/entries/thomas-kuhn/>.

Engineer's life. (2012). Jobs at Google. Retrieved:

http://www.google.com/international/en/jobs/lifeatgoogle/englife/index.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/15962/data/buonarroti-marblesculpture.html
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/19/148777350/how-creativity-works-its-all-in-your-imagination
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Business Plan Section V. The
Words: 1497 Length: 3 Document Type: Business Plan

In addition to these activities, a professionally done Website where the weekly webinars will be hosted from, and a list of in-person events the company is sponsoring will also be provided. CFOS and CEOs are the ones in content providers making the decisions of whether to monetize their content. Advertising and sales promotion must concentrate on events where these specific professionals are in an attempt to gain their interest

Business the Company's Objective Is to Develop
Words: 3569 Length: 12 Document Type: Case Study

Business The company's objective is to develop capabilities in the Research and Development areas as well as ensuing products that can be sold and distributed in the European and American markets. It should be noted, however, that such a move must be taken with caution and care; approaching the European business marketplace may not work in the same manner as other business environments. As one expert recently wrote "approaching the European

Business Innovation and Enterprise
Words: 3027 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

Business innovation and enterprise -- Innovation in China The buzzword of today is represented by the internationalized economic crisis which has commenced from within the American real estate sector and soon expanded to impact all sectors across the entire globe. Before the emergence of the crisis however, the buzzword was that of globalization, understood as the process by which boundaries between states are gradually eliminated and the values, beliefs, cultures and

Innovations in Technology in Recent
Words: 4737 Length: 17 Document Type: Research Paper

One such exemplary resource is Epicor's recent guide, "Managing Today's Professional Services Organization: How to Improve Efficiency and Increase Profits" (2011). Although the guide contains some self-serving information concerning Epicor's own IT product line, the bulk of the guide is devoted to timely and informative insights concerning how IT can facilitate project delivery in professional services organizations. For instance, according to Epicor's guide: Ultimately, a successful operational model demands higher-order

Innovation Star Wars -- the
Words: 1647 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

The positive effects of "Star Wars" were that a youthful infusion of optimism and innovation, and greater directorial control became manifest the Hollywood film industry. Note that this sudden upsurge of interest in the public in the doings of Luke Skywalker was not predicted by studio powers-that-be, nor was the resultant gross. True, although success in movies today is often measured by opening weekend results, "Star Wars" took awhile to

Science and Technology Dominance of
Words: 856 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

The American business model and the American capitalist ideal has infiltrated every aspect of Indonesian society, transforming the way people live and work. Not all of the changes taking place are negative. Before American culture influenced that of Indonesia, local elite controlled a vast amount of wealth and power and created what can correctly be called a caste system like the one in India or more accurately, feudalism. Without any

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now