What are the rules of innovation?
- All new ideas are combinations of existing ideas
- Not all idea combinations are created equal
- More ideas lead to better ideas
- Plan for mistakes and failures
- Stick to your passions – it’s your best chance for success
- Step into the intersection – unleash an explosion of ideas
The Medici Effect
The Medici effect refers to a phenomenon that occurs when a number of talented, creative and productive people from different fields are brought together and are able to collaborate to create something innovative and new. The idea comes from a book by Frans Johansson by the same name. It draws on the history of the wealthy Medici family, whose patronage brought poets, philosophers, scientists, painters and other artisans from around Europe to Florence, Italy, between the 13th and 17th centuries. Bringing these talented people together and allowing them to collaborate is believed to have kicked off the Renaissance period, a period of human history marked by great innovation.
The Intersection
The intersection is a place where ideas and concepts from diverse industries, cultures, departments, and disciplines collide, ultimately igniting an explosion of ideas leading to extraordinary innovations. Breakthrough ideas are most often “intersectional” and occur when we bring concepts from one field into a new, unfamiliar territory.