Innovation Dilemmas: Examples

Innovation dilemmas come in myriad forms, arising from the human potential for discovery and invention. These innovations are attractive, and promise to be improvements. However, they are distilled from the endless unknown and are accompanied by considerable uncertainty, so their promise may be illusory. This chapter examines a range of innovation dilemmas, selected for their diversity; some are concrete and technological, others abstract and conceptual. We consider e-reading and its uncertain implications for young readers; military hardware and development of the Messerschmidt jet fighter plane; bipolar disorder and pregnancy; disruptive technology and the manager’s innovation dilemma; agricultural productivity and world hunger; military intelligence and foresight; and controlling an invasive biological pest that perhaps is neither invasive nor a pest. Finally, we discuss the habit of open-mindedness, which is both desirable but also sometimes an innovation dilemma.