Then, there is the history of bad innovations that are supposed to create positive results. Most textbooks do not include the following innovations:
• The Romans cut the Achilles tendon of conquered soldiers. These soldiers would never be able to fight Rome again.
• The Nazis created innovative ways of killing thousands of people at the same time by burning them.
• Catholic priests in the Middle Ages innovated and made themselves wealthy by selling indulgences. Such money making would make contemporary fundraisers green with envy.
• The Spanish conquistador Cortez landed near Veracruz, Mexico and after a short time of finding no riches but many mosquitoes, his men started grumbling and wanted to go home. To stop this line of thought, Cortez burned their five ships. “There is no going home, boys.…” That innovation increased the level of commitment among his men.
• Napalm helped to burn the forests in Vietnam so the Viet Cong could not hide from American forces. It also burned people in the forests.
• The atom bomb saved a half a million American lives by bringing Japan to its knees.
• Many medical breakthroughs occur through testing of monkeys and other animals. Many monkeys died.
• And of course there are efficient lobotomies, which remove dangerous brains.
Thus the dark side lurks in the history of innovations.
Try This!
Trace important innovations in your organization. What innovations have been put into place, and how have they developed over time?
Innovations are not always about cardiac pacemakers or monkeys or napalm. Many of those innovations were on purpose; inventors set out to create a product for a specific task and were successful. Let us look at other ways that innovations happened.
“Name the greatest of all
inventors. Accident.” (Mark Twain)