Tracing the History of Models of Innovation

This book traces the ‘genealogy’ of ‘models’ used in the field of Science Technology and Society (STS)/Science Technology and Innovation (STI) studies. Benoît Godin, one of the profound historians of innovation, has earlier worked on the ‘genealogy of innovation’ and perhaps this is an extension with a twist to investigate models used by the innovation’s scholars. Godin argues that the ‘models’ of innovations are at the core of innovation scholars, policymakers and practitioners. Despite that, he feels that no one has used models in its complex sense; rather, they represent social realities simplistically – notably, he emphasizes the need for the models to be looked at from a historical perspective. Models are in fashion and proposed by authors to take the lead in their field; however, these models die fast too. There is no reflexivity or criticism, or in some cases, extreme criticism is observed among scholars to propose a model of innovation, with a reason of their own. Godin further proposed that the models are not the work of an individual or happen in a vacuum. Rather, several known and unknown scholars have contributed to developing a single model and they need to be credited. Keeping these things in mind, Godin has analysed the two categories of innovations models, namely ‘process’, consisting of ‘stage’ and ‘linear’ models and ‘system’ models in chronological order. However, later in the discussion, he accepts that the models developed are not in chronological order but go back and forth and he cites several examples to that account. This is true also as historians have already discarded the chronological or linear notion of history. Read more…