How Innovation Happens When We're Pushed to the Brink | Jiro Kokuryo, Vice-President / Professor, Faculty of Policy Management
2020.11.10
I've lived for 61 years, but I never get bored, as every day is a series of encounters with things I don't know. Just today, I went to get a flat tire on my bicycle fixed, the cause of which was unknown. While discussing the possible causes with the young man at the bike shop, he taught me a lot about the structure of tires. There was so much I didn't know. In the summer, after the COVID-19 situation had calmed down considerably, I started going to Pilates. The instructor showed me how poor my posture was and how it was throwing my whole body off balance. Once I corrected it, I started building muscles that I had never been able to develop before, no matter how much strength training I did on my own. I realize that society is made up of various experts in their respective fields, each contributing to the way the world works.
It's a privilege of being a university professor that I often learn from my students. I pretend to teach, but I suspect I'm not the only one who feels they actually learn more from their students. This year, I worked with a student who argued that it's crucial now to analyze the phenomenon of social events, not just technology, driving innovation. Together, we looked into examples of innovation sparked by the natural environment or war. Indeed, the bicycle was invented because the eruption of Mount Tambora led to a shortage of horses. World War II gave birth to the "trench radio," leading to the phenomenon of "Lili Marleen" becoming a hit across enemy lines. There are many such cases. This perspective is important in 2020, of course, because of COVID-19. I watch the daily news with great interest, wondering what innovations will emerge to break through this deadlock. What immediately comes to mind is the remote conferencing system. I imagine that in 30 years, history books will state that a virus, not a volcano, was the catalyst for the explosive spread of remote conferencing.
Looking at the history of innovation, it's interesting to see that some technologies take off long after they are invented. Technologies that were cast aside when there was no demand for them become widespread when needs arise due to changes in social conditions. Conversely, there are business models and technologies that have rapidly declined because they could not adapt to the changing times. The reality of my work as a Vice-President is a daily scramble to implement various measures, worrying that the current form of the university might not adapt to the post-COVID era and could face extinction. I want to accurately read the next trends and ensure we evolve.