Innovation rarely happens in isolation; it flourishes in environments that nurture curiosity, collaboration, and connection. In Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, Steven Johnson explores the recurring patterns that shape how breakthroughs emerge—whether in science, technology, or everyday life. He argues that great ideas are not the product of sudden genius but the result of networks, chance encounters, and environments rich in diversity and exchange. By unpacking seven key patterns of innovation, Johnson offers a fascinating framework for understanding how creativity evolves and how we can design spaces—both physical and intellectual—that make innovation more likely.
Seven patterns of innovation
- The ‘adjacent possible’
This idea is drawn from evolution. Each time something innovative happens, it opens up new possibilities around it. Those possibilities come into being through random collisions between the ideas. However, each new possibility is only a little bit different from what has already happened. It is not possible to make huge leaps into the unknown. This explains why things are invented independently by different people at more or less the same time: it simply became possible at that time.
- Liquid networks
The idea of the adjacent possible emphasises the importance of random collisions between ideas. Liquid networks is a phrase used to describe environments where ideas flow freely and connect, and support those collisions. The Enlightenment-era coffeehouse culture is one example. Open-plan offices might be another, if they worked as originally envisaged, although perhaps the ‘free play’ of the early Google offices is a better example.
- The slow hunch
This describes the idea that big ideas rarely come fully formed. Instead, they start as vague inklings that need time to mature and evolve, often through discussion with other people. For example, the internet grew out of an idea for linking information at CERN. It took years before it became the World Wide Web—and with social media, it has now evolved far beyond the original vision.
- Serendipity
The fourth idea is simple chance. Some ideas arise from noticing something unusual or unexpected—and then making the right connections. The classic example is Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin. This came about when he left some used petri dishes in a cupboard when he went on holiday. On his return, he noticed that a mould was killing the bacterial colonies.
- Error
Some good ideas happen by accident. For example, Post-It notes were invented when a scientist at 3M was trying to develop a stronger, tougher adhesive. Instead, he created a weak adhesive that repeatedly stuck then peeled off without leaving a mark. Serendipitously, another 3M scientist needed a way to mark pages in a book, and remembered his colleague’s accidental discovery. Together, they started working on a product that would solve the problem—and found themselves using their invention to leave each other notes around the lab.
- Exaptation
This is the idea that something designed for one purpose can be adapted for another. In biology, feathers originally evolved for warmth, but rapidly became efficient for flight. In technology, Gutenberg drew on the idea of wine presses when creating the printing press.
- Platforms and ecosystems
This is the idea that innovations can be amplified by platforms that create space for them to develop, and allow others to build on the original idea.
Drawing it together: takeaways for thought leaders
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this book is that ideas need incubation and discussion. Big ideas don’t emerge from lone geniuses working in labs. They come from conversations. Elucidating the structure of DNA took laboratory findings—but it also took months of collaborative discussion and experimentation with models.
There are two implications of this. First, thought leaders should aim to stimulate conversation, and join in the discussions. It’s no good just broadcasting ideas into the ether. Second, the conversations need to go on over a long period—months or even years, not just hours or days. This suggests that they need to be in real life as well as over social media. It also highlights the importance of building long-term relationships with customers, peers and competitors to create the right conditions for innovation.
Finally, the book emphasises the importance of diversity. Ideas thrive in environments where different people come together, and things get a bit messy. Too much order is unhelpful. Instead, you must actively seek out difference, and even a little chaos. Ultimately, we suggest, you need to build your social media networks into coffee houses, not echo chambers.
Ultimately, Where Good Ideas Come From invites readers to rethink innovation as a social, evolutionary process rather than a solitary act of brilliance. Johnson’s insights suggest that creativity flourishes when ideas have time to mature, collide, and cross-pollinate across diverse fields and perspectives.
For thought leaders, this means fostering spaces that encourage dialogue, experimentation, and even a bit of disorder. Innovation is not about controlling the process but cultivating the right conditions—where conversations can unfold, mistakes can lead to discovery, and unexpected connections can spark transformative change. In essence, the goal is to turn our digital and real-world communities into modern-day coffee houses—places where good ideas are born, shared, and grown.