In the last post I wrote that I’d like to see a high-profile, London-based innovation centre or initiative. Then I started thinking about how TechAlliance and the Stiller Centre (and what else am I missing?) sort of fit that bill — but not quite. Some elements are missing but I couldn’t quite figure out what.

Then it registered.

I always approach innovation and creativity from a fairly broad, “social entrepreneurship” perspective. When I talk about “innovation” I assume I’m referring to a very wide field that incorporates elements from art, science, business, and civics. Whereas most people who talk about innovation are specifically referring to advanced research in technology and science — and then, “How do we monetize that?”

That’s what organizations like TechAlliance and the Stiller Centre do — and do well, I take it — and should continue to do.

But I’d like to see more bridges across creative domains, more interaction between people in business, art, science, and civics (and why stop there?)

It’s one thing to mix and mingle with people from different backgrounds and disciplines, and to contribute to the same projects, each in our own way, at different times and places, but it’s another thing to really work with each other to create something.

This is something I’d like to see more of in London: business people, arts people, researchers, developers, politicians, activists, designers, visionaries, organizers… working together to create something, challenging each other to learn and grow by cultivating new kinds of knowledge and perspective.

Again I come back to the IDEO philosophy that LDNbeta began with. Specifically, the importance of hybrid teams. I especially like the way Bill Moggridge put it in this interview with MIT Technology Review in 2007 (free registration required):

Put together a team with a great engineer, a crazy designer, a good businessperson, and a good human-factors scientist or psychologist of some kind, and put them in a room and get them to try to work together. It’s a big challenge, but they come to a point, surprisingly quickly, where they realize that what they can achieve together is much more than they could do individually.

Where is that “room” in London?

Photo credit: chrisjfry.

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The strange stunt pulled by some of London’s city councillors this week — calling for an economic summit while everyone else was already talking about the flurry of economic conferences in the area (e.g. Canada 3.0 and SWREC) — is a good opportunity to bring this LdnBeta initiative into a better light.

Paul Berton says “our ability to come together as a region and work as a team with institutions of higher learning and businesses to leverage our innovation, technology and knowledge-based economy… must start with the politicians.”

Not necessarily. I’m having trouble thinking of anything really good that started with politicians. (Think of the web itself, how it developed without top-down leadership.)

In a way, looking to politicians for leadership may actually be 180° from where we should be heading. Politicians have a role, of course, but just one of many — and as we move towards newer economic and civic models, theirs becomes more diminished (or at least less conventionally authoritative).

The true catalysts are whoever happens to have knowledge, skills, and passion suited to a particular problem or opportunity in a given time and place.

We add what value we can, according to what we have to offer. Then, building on that, still-newer opportunities emerge that are suited to other people, they add what they can, and it continues to cascade through various iterations, becoming a little more effective, vital, and sustainable as it progresses.

We have to stop waiting, stop asking. We all need to take an extra step from our comfort zones, towards the future (politicians included, so the zany letter was at least something)… or we’ll be the last ones there.

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