In a word, innovation encapsulates the
social and economic changes in industrialisation. It informs a new or
substantially improved product, process, service or invention that is
economically beneficial. Many are chasing revolutionary innovation,
but how exactly do innovations emerge?
Ogan Gurel is a doctor, researcher, speaker, and
writer, but above all an innovator. Over the course of his career, he
has accumulated experience in a number of fields, from marketing to
medicine, while guiding both small and large companies in developing innovations.
“Innovation is a state of mind, and there are no quick fixes or fancy
tricks to achieve it. The most important thing is to think about
things from different angles,” Dr. Gurel says and continues by sharing
an anecdote from one of his earliest memories in elementary school.
“We were asked to give a presentation about our favorite planet. So I
talked about Jupiter. But not because it was the biggest planet, but
rather because I proposed, based on something I had read, that it was
not a planet after all, but rather a failed star. I think looking at
things from a different angle, trying to be different, has always been
with me,” Gurel explains.
In previous Industrial Revolutions — the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd — each
revolution was largely defined by a specific technology: the steam
engine, electricity, and computers respectively in turn. Now, the 4th
industrial revolution has brought with it, among other things, IoT,
artificial intelligence and machine learning, which benefit from
know-how in many different fields. In other words, the revolution we
are experiencing now is not about a single, dominant technology, but
rather about technology convergence. Specialisation in one field is no
longer enough today, there is a need for broader skillsets. But what
does all this have to do with innovation?
The two cultures do not communicate with each other
“The surest recipe for creating new innovations is to bring
humanities and hard sciences together. Innovations require a base in
training that combines art and science. We need cooperation between
scientists, humanists, technology and the arts, but often education
systems do not promote interaction between these fields. The lack of
convergence gives rise to two different, distinct cultures,” Gurel explains.
The concept of two cultures refers to a famous 1959 lecture by
British polymath C.P. Snow. Snow saw that there was a
deep gap between the fields of science and arts, and there was no
dialogue between them for this reason. The lack of discourse and
interaction has led to further sectoral differentiation. The effects
of this are still evident today. Without interdisciplinary
interaction, it becomes harder for new ideas to emerge to
revolutionise the world.
“The current pandemic shaking the world is, to some extent, a result
of this very problem. We have anti-scientific leaders as well as a
scientific community that has clearly been incapable of speaking to
citizens. As C.P. Snow said, the two cultures are not talking to each
other,” Gurel says.
But how will this situation be resolved? According to Gurel, there is
a need for education where these two sides of science really come
together. Not so much science students dabbling in humanities courses
or art students taking a smattering of science classes – this is done
rather well by anyone who undertakes a liberal arts education – but
rather educational experiences that truly integrate both of Two
Cultures. Massive and complex problems such as climate change cannot
be solved unless scientists and humanists understand each other and
build bridges between disciplines. These bridges also make it possible
to create new innovations that improve society as a whole.
How technology shapes work and business in 2021? Download
our trend report which covers 17 technology trends of 2021.
