Friday, January 1, 2010

Dr. Gregory Todd Jones - innovation is in the networks

Dr. Gregory Jones gives an interesting talk about networks and creativity. He states that, "networks of people are creative and innovative and knowing how to structure those networks properly has a direct impact on productivity." He talks about how sharing, reciprocity, and even happiness (he provides reference to several research studies that warrant future investigation) are all products of the structure of the networks that we live in.

The concept of Edgility that I have been developing resonates with Dr. Jones' ideas. We all need to be thinking about how we structure or in most cases restructure our networks to become more productive.

From what I see this restructuring needs to go well beyond what most of us think of when we think about "networking." We live in a competitive world that requires creativity and innovation. I believe that these innovations will be driven from the edges of the system. They will be born by individuals working on the edge of networks who have ideas about how to do something better. These ideas will then be brought to reality through networks of people working together. It is how we structure these networks that is vital to this type of productivity. These networks are fundamentally different than the ones we have typically worked within, diverging from hierarchy and structure and even being thwarted by traditional incentives. In 2010 I will continue to restructure my networks, and discuss this process here (edgilityblog.com), in an attempt to increase my Edgility

Happy New Year everyone!

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