Their examples are memorable only because they are rare – most directed innovation fails
Olof Hallonsten, 2023 - Department of Business Administration, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Empty Innovation: Causes and Consequences of Society’s Obsession with Entrepreneurship and Growth. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/63577/1/978-3-031-31479-7.pdf //DH
It would be comforting to believe that it would work. And there are a few conspicuous and successful examples in history, such as the Manhattan Project’s quest to build the first atomic bomb, or Kennedy’s promise to put a man on the Moon before the end of the decade, which were kept. But as Harford (2011: 91) argues, “these examples are memorable in part because they are unusual”. Moreover, there are many examples of groundbreaking scientific discoveries and transformative innovations that have been based on work that funders have turned down and advised against, and several cases where these authorities also later have humbly conceded that “we are glad you didn’t follow our advice” (Harford 2011: 105–108).