"Despite conventional wisdom that associates great inventions with lone geniuses, breakthrough inventions are team efforts. Incandescent light bulbs existed before Edison was born. His patent built on prior versions of the light bulb, aiming to make it practical and affordable. Even then, it wasn't a solo achievement-Edison collaborated with a team of skilled collaborators, known as the "Muckers," whose contributions have largely faded from memory. Yet it was Edison's name on the patent, and that's the version of history that stuck."
"We're suckers for lone genius narratives like Edison's-the brilliant scientist, the fearless military general, or the savvy CEO. The version of history we glean from popular books, movies, and the internet attributes greatness to single individuals. But individual greatness is rarely the whole story. Research shows that teams are the main creators of new knowledge across most industries. New ideas don't emerge fully formed from the mind of a single person-it takes collaboration and teamwork to develop them to their full potential."
Incandescent light bulbs existed before Edison, and Edison's patent built on prior versions while aiming for practicality and affordability. Edison worked with a team of skilled collaborators called the "Muckers," whose contributions have often been forgotten. Popular narratives favor lone geniuses and attribute success or failure to single individuals. Research indicates that teams are the primary creators of new knowledge across most industries. New ideas require collaboration and iterative development to reach their full potential. People systematically over-attribute outcomes to individuals and often overestimate their own contributions within groups.
Read at Fast Company
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