Innovation and Hallelujah - Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell

A few of this week's PME 811 readings referenced "revisionist perspectives" or "revisionism".  I was reminded of a podcast that has long been on my "to listen" list, but I've never gotten around to it. Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast piqued my interest as I am a big fan of his books The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers.

I listened to "Hallelujah" from season one. In this podcast, Gladwell notes that art lover David Gallenson indicates there are two types of innovators

Conceptual Innovators - Those who have meticulously planned and work quickly, have specific ideas, and execute. Example Picasso.  Exemplifies what most people consider when they think of "genius".

Experimental Innovators - Those who never have a clear idea, work by trial and error, do endless drafts, work slowly, take a lifetime to create. Example Cezanne - who was known for 

Gladwell talks about the famous song Hallelujah, originally written by Leonard Cohen. It has since been covered by John Cale, Jeff Buckley, Bon Jovi, and several other artists. I am sure you have heard it. Gladwell tells an interesting story of Cohen (termed an Experimental Innovator who took years to write the song), then the song was made famous by Jeff Buckley, a Conceptual Innovator, 15 years later when it is finally identified as a work of genius.

To relate this to the content I read during our course this week, this illustration of differing degrees of success within innovators makes me reconsider my glossary definition of innovation.  Perhaps innovation requires a purpose, planning and successful execution.

Sources

Gladwell, M. (2016). "Hallelujah" Audio blog post.  Revisionist History. Pushkin, July 28, 2016.