Frans Johansson presents within the pages of The Medici Effect concepts which form the foundation of a theory for both innovation and invention. Johansson illustrates these concepts by cleverly using several examples ranging from a diverse menu at a Swedish restaurant to using methods employed by ants in a telecommunication technology. Within this range Johansson dissects the root of creativity and true innovation; the author refers to it as the intersection. The intersection represents the crossroad where different disciplines come together to exchange and create ideas together. Within interdisciplinary teams of professionals rises true innovative ideas. A great read for those who are looking to be more creative at work, home, or anywhere. ( )

"Donald Campbell, one of the leading psychologists in creativity research in the sixties, concluded that persons "who have been uprooted from traditional cultures, or who have been thoroughly exposed to two or more cultures, seem to have the advantage in the range of hypotheses they are apt to consider, and through this means, in the frequency of creative innovation." The point is not that a person who has been exposed to multiple cultures can simply fall back on two or more different ways of viewing an issue. Rather, it is taht such a person is not wedded to a particular point of view. Simply by being aware that there are multiple ways of approaching a problem, he or she will more likely view any situation from multiple perspectives." -pp 47 ( )

Recommended by Ian Jukes at the NCCE 2008 conference in Seattle. About intersection of ideas and how that leads to innovation. Movement of people, technology and one other factor are accelerating this trend. ( )