The Great Man Theory in Technology
The great man theory in innovation purports that behind every innovation is a single individual. This theory was particularly popular in the late 20th century where most of the innovations had taken place. History classes often have a single individual that takes credit for any innovation (O'Lear 128). However, this theory has often been criticized as obscuring the real masterminds behind the great inventions. Some of the great men associated with innovation in the 20th century and the 21st century include Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. These innovators contributed significantly in their lines of work, and great ideas and innovations are attributed to them. This paper discusses the great man theory in innovation and proposes that this theory is the driving factor in technology innovation.
Thesis Statement
Naturally, ideas require hands to become reality and sometimes lots of talented hands. The Great Man theory is the driving factor in technology innovation. History has unequivocally demonstrated that there is always some rare person who has the foresight to see an idea past conception.
Hammurabi, Akhenaten, Ramses, Leonidas, Caesar, Saladin, Henry VIII, Napoleon, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Hitler, Gandhi, Churchill, and so on. History is rich with key individuals who appeared at key moments in time. The fact is that there were many reasons why WWII happened, but the results would have been very different if Hitler wasn't the German chancellor.Elon Musk might not have the technological prowess himself, but neither did Steve Jobs. But Apple had to go back to its visionary founder to find its own soul. That’s the true genius of men like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk - they have the vision and the drive to bring together the various technologies to make something better.
Take the iPod for example, all the technologies for the iPod existed prior to Apple making it, but it took their ingenuity to make something so natural that it literally gave birth to the online music market. That's vision paired with remarkable amounts of dedicated hard work.
The very fact that these men have created ecosystems that wouldn't have been created without their force of will, insight, and desire to push humanity beyond the status quo is testament to the fact that they are extraordinary human beings. Of course, ideas require hands to become reality, and sometimes lots of talented hands. But history has unequivocally demonstrated that behind every paradigm shift, whether scientific or political, there is some rare person who has the foresight to see what does not yet exist and the drive to see that idea past conception.Steve Jobs did not invent the telephone or the mobile device or the features offered by the iPhone (Isaacson 13).
However, there is no mention of Apple Inc. without the mention of this innovator. Steve Jobs was not involved in the engineering prowess that led to the present products. There is, however, no denying that his name is in all these …
