From The New York Times:
“Innovation is…terrifying. Right now we’re going through changes that rip away the core logic of our economy. Will there be enough jobs to go around? Will they pay a living wage? Terror, however, can also be helpful. The only way to harness this new age of failure is to learn how to bounce back from disaster and create the societal institutions that help us do so. The real question is whether we’re up for the challenge.”
A fantastic look at the history of innovation and failure — from the accidental invention of artificial purple dye in the Industrial Revolution to the giant warehouse of Weird Stuff, Inc, the graveyard of failed Silicon Valley start-ups and obsolete products.
Experimenting and risk-taking is now the name of the game, as we move away from the “corporate era” and enter the “innovation era.” As the modern relentless drive for innovation continues to erode the stability once provided by large corporations, companies (and workers) need to embrace the ever-shrinking “failure loop” and adapt to this endless cycle of risky change. Some professions, such as accountants (perhaps surprisingly), are already charging ahead with creative solutions.