Innovation and Status

Some time ago, Brian J Tillotson, briant@hsvaic.hv.boeing.com, shared this tidbit of information with us --

Last year Science News had quite a good article by Susan Milius on studies of innovation and invention among animals. One item of particular interest for your readers came up in a section on innovation among primates. It quotes Kevin N. Laland, a scientist at the University of Cambridge in England, commenting on research by Sarah T. Boysen at the primate lab at Ohio State:
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Primate studies in particular suggest that most individuals' innovations die with them. Laland notes, "Only a tiny, tiny fraction spread to the rest of the population."

Part of the reason may lie in the usually low status of innovators: the poor competitors, the small, and the hungry. "They're not being watched," he notes.

Actually, there may be Edisons all over the place, throughout the animal kingdom. The tricky part is getting anyone to notice.

From Science News, Vol. 155, No. 23, June 5, 1999, p. 364.
Copyright 1999, Science Service.
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Perhaps your readers would be interested in this, or might even like to comment on whether they feel that more innovation arises from low-status people.

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So, what do you think? Is there a correlation between innovation and low status? And, could that be one reason why innovations often don't survive beyond the innovator? SHORT responses please --
TO: status@thinksmart.com
SUBJECT: STATUS

Innovation University is now enrolling Innovation Fellow candidates for the June meeting which will include a site visit at the rule breaking Interface Carpet. For more information, see:
http://www.thinksmart.com/innovationuniversity.html
or call Andrea Woodward at 805-563-1438