What can a giant killer shark teach us about innovation?

Novelty attracts attention.

Have you ever tried to solve the problem of a huge killer shark terrorising a beach? Few have, and yet this problem caught the attention of thousands as the central puzzle to one of the biggest summer movie blockbusters.

Innovation might be assumed primarily confined to corporate or start-up environments. However, its practical cousin, invention, can be practised wherever a problem is to be found. The plot of a good movie is a rich opportunity.

Typically, a good story will present to the protagonist an intractable contradiction to resolve. The 1975 movie Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, is no different. This narrative presents to Martin Brody, the police chief of Amity island, a paradox.

We’re going to need a bigger boat.

The public on vacation and enjoying the beach are being eaten by a huge killer shark. However, the local community of Amity island is dependent upon the holiday traffic. The shark and the public cannot share the beach. How do we resolve this contradiction? We could simply close this lucrative beach, but this will destroy the town, so we must catch the shark. This article…