The Shirky Principle
Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.
Sketchplanations - The Podcast · Robert Bell
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Show Notes
In this episode we discuss the phenomenon of organisations working to keep alive a problem for which they are the solution.
It was observed and written about by American technology writer and consultant, Clay Shirky and has thus been given the name The Shirky Principle.
Through many examples, we explore how prevalent it's been in the world of products and consumables and try (but in all honesty, probably fail) to offer advice on how to avoid falling foul of it oneself.
We conclude that it's definitely something much easier to spot in others!
Here are some useful links if you want to find out more about some of the bits we discussed:
- Clay Shirky's book on Cognitive Surplus
- Jono's sketch on the Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom chain.
- Mitchell & Webb Toothbrush design marketing comedy sketch
- Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn
- Sketchplanations on the S-Curve
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