War and innovation Abid Arun

“In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? ……………………………… The cuckoo clock”

Weaponry; including ships, vehicles, aircraft, artillery, rocketry, small arms, and biological,chemical and atomic weapons. Logistical support; including vehicles necessary for transporting soldiers and supplies, such as trains, trucks, and aircraft. Communications and intelligence; including devices used for navigation, communication, and espionage. Medicine; including surgical innovations, chemical medicines, and techniques Industry; including the technologies employed at factories and production/distribution centers.

Digital Computing ENIAC, Colossus

Weaponry Rockets Space Race Tanks Swept Wing Airplane ( Me-262 ) Atom Bomb

Communications Cryptography CDMA Wireless communication and Sonar

Process innovations Modern industrial process Inter-operabililty of components

Industry Synthetic rubber Synthetic petrol Hydrogen peroxide - forerunner to the development of fuel-cell technology and synthetic fuel technology

Medicine Use of penicillin to treat wounds and bacterial diseases

Transport Amphibious vehicles Jeeps Advancements in air, water, road travel Radar Modern navigation and meteorology

Art and War Counter Culture Dadaism

Others Magnetron in microwave ovens Popularization of telescope Behavioral Science and propoganda

Lessons learned Need Heightened sense of urgency Survival Non monetary incentive, high identification with the cause your are fighting for or against Freedom with ideas, not with resources or time The removal of the commercial imperative – in war-time there is no need for an invention to be economically viable ( Feasibility need not be the deterrent of desirability )

Organizational context Culture must be such that there is a strong identification with the vision Induce competition with non monetary incentive

Thank You!