new wi1 publication challenges spatial views of innovation
We use to think about innovation in terms of spaces, inside and outside a company, where different people do different things. In his latest publication, wi1 member Albrecht Fritzsche asks if this view is really helpful for gaining a better understanding of how innovation works. Drawing on evolutionary studies, he suggests that the notion of an inside and outside does not make sense any more. Fritzsche does not only highlight the permeability of domain boundaries. Instead, as the editors explain, “Fritzsche makes the idea of boundary itself a contested concept”. Innovation is, in this sense, not so much about establishing boundaries or crossing boundaries, but creating conditions to define domains of action and consequence, novelty, change and expertise. The publication is part of the latest volume of Springer’s prestigious POET series on the philosophy of engineering and technology. It can be downloaded here.