Product Description
It is an old adage that “fortune favours the prepared mind”, that in many cases the elements of a creativity synthesis just “happened to be there”. It is Koepp’s valuable contribution that he assembles all such clustering dynamics and makes coherent “the gale of creativity destruction” that has puzzled us all. An innovative book for an innovative topic. Dr Charles Hampden-Turner, Cambridge University Every so often one is lucky enough to be at the cente… More >>
#1 by Christopher Jones on May 7, 2010 - 3:57 pm
This is an interesting overview of the history and drivers of Silicon Valley and the Cambridge Phenomenon – certainly, anyone working in those two places will find it fascinating.
The book starts worryingly like a university dissertation – but does get to the point and its theory a few pages in: that management and entrepreneurship have driven these tech centres – not geography, first mover advantage, or even technological advantage, or other vague impersonal forces. For the most part, the book demonstrates the theory, especially in the Silicon Valley half of the book. The Cambridge part of the book is a bit more historical and gossipy.
Rating: 4 / 5
#2 by jack on May 7, 2010 - 6:35 pm
While somewhat critical of Saxenian’s “Regional Advantage” the author has presented an excellent case of how self-perception and mindset of people essentially influences decision-making, which in turn drives an innovative economy up or down.
It is a fascinating journey into the makings of both Silicon Valley and Silicon Fen. However, I would say that the author only reinforces Saxenians’s conclusions that the culture and the value system shape the strength of an economy as much as technical expertise if not more.
The book was elegantly written while it touched the deep underlying dynamics that were responsible for the creation and ultimate degree of success these two regions achieved.
I would highly recommend it to everybody interested in regional development and business clustering.
Rating: 5 / 5