Innovation Beyond Intention: the Role of Exaptation in Technological Advancements

EasyChair Preprint 13737, version 2

Abstract

The frameworks that explore scientific and technological evolution suggest that discoveries and inventions are intrinsic processes, while the wealth of knowledge accumulated over time enables researchers to make further advancements, echoing Newton’s sentiment of ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’. However, contrary to this view, Park et al.’s (2023) research challenges this notion, revealing that despite the exponential growth in new scientific and technical knowledge, there is a concerning decline in the disruptiveness of papers and patents by the measure of CD index proposed by Funk et al. (2017). Exaptation borrowed from biological evolution, is now recognized as a pivotal yet often neglected mechanism in technological evolution. Significant technologies often do not emerge out of thin air, but rather result from applying existing technologies in other domains. For instance, bird feathers initially served for waterproofing and insulation before enabling flight, and microwave ovens originated from radar magnetrons. Exaptation signifies a cross-field evolutionary process, driven by the functional shift of pre-existing knowledge, technology, or artifacts. We found that exaptation helps to increase the disruptiveness of innovations. Over time, the average disruptiveness decreases, but the efforts for exaptation increase.

Keyphrases: Disruptiveness, Innovation, exaptation, technology evolution

@booklet{EasyChair:13737,
  author    = {Youewei He and Jeong-Dong Lee},
  title     = {Innovation Beyond Intention: the Role of Exaptation in Technological Advancements},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 13737},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2024}}