Networks of Innovation: Change and Meaning in the Age of the Internet

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Ilkka Tuomi (, Visiting Scientist at the European Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville)

Networks of Innovation

Change and Meaning in the Age of the Internet

Ilkka Tuomi (, Visiting Scientist at the European Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville)

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English

Oxford University Press
05 August 2006

Research & development management; Impact of science & technology on society; Ethical & social aspects of computing; Operating systems

Innovations are adopted when users integrate them in meaningful ways into existing social practices. Histories of major technological innovations show that often the creative initiative of users and user communities becomes the determining factor in the evolution of particular innovations. The evolutionary routes of the telephone, the Internet, the World Wide Web, email, and the Linux operating system all took their developers by surprise. Articulation of these technologies as meaningful products and systems was made possible by innovative users and unintended resources.

Iterative and interactive models have replaced the traditional linear model of innovation during the last decade. Yet, heroic innovators and entrepreneurs, unambiguous functionality of products, and a focus on the up-stream aspects of innovation still underlie much discussion on innovation, intellectual property rights, technology policy, and product development. Coherent conceptual, theoretical and practical conclusions from research on knowledge creation, theory of learning, history of technology, and the social basis of innovative change have rarely been made.

This book argues that innovation is about creating meaning; that it is inherently social; and is grounded in existing social practices. To understand the social basis of innovation and technology development we have to move beyond the traditional product-centric view on innovations. Integrating concepts from several disciplinary perspectives and detailed analyses of the evolution of Internet-related innovations, including packet-switched computer networks, World Wide Web, and the Linux open source operating system, the book develops foundations for a new theoretical and practical understanding of innovation. For example, it shows that innovative development can occur in two qualitatively different ways, one based on evolving specialization and the other based on recombination of existing socially produced resources. The expanding communication and collaboration networks have increased the importance of the recombinatory mode making mobility of resources, sociotechnical translation mechanisms, and meaning creation in communities of practice increasingly important for innovation research and product development.

By: Ilkka Tuomi ( Visiting Scientist at the European Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Seville)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 242mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780199256983
ISBN 10: 0199256985
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 05 August 2006
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional and scholarly , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly , Undergraduate , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ilkka Tuomi worked from 1987 to 2001 at Nokia Research Center in various positions, most recently as Principal Scientist, Information Society and Knowledge Management. From June 1999 to December 2000, he was Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently Visiting Scientist at the European Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville.

Reviews for Networks of Innovation: Change and Meaning in the Age of the Internet

Surprisingly rewarding ... Food for thought for anyone who has to create new ideas for a living. Focus Tuomi's Networks of Innovation provides a fresh and extremely insightful analysis of how disruptive innovation actually happens, why innovation is so unpredictable and how is it intimately linked to the change of social practices. In addition he provides a brillant analysis of the innovative processes underlying the creation of both the internet and Linux sidestepping the ideology of open source while providing a highly nuanced reading of its context. This beautifully written book is a must read for any student of innovation. John Seely Brown, Director Emeritus, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC); co-author The Social Life of Information