Chris Anderson, a TED curator, brought up a discussion about the growth and maintenance of innovation culture. According to him, both innovation and culture cause changes to human lives; before those two aspects, people can only share their knowledge from generations to generations. As a result, there are no developments or advancements in society.

“However, innovations began to appear around 30 000 years ago,” he said. This discovery has opened many doors for other innovations. People are trying to inspire one another and there was a rapid shift in societal development.

For Chris, this progress was remarkable due to humans being the only living presence that possesses intellect on Earth. Humans can see, like and want something. Then, they can convey their inclinations towards others. Moreover, they are the only living beings that can gather others with the same vision to manifest their idea.

Chris then recounted one of Indonesia’s public figure who initiated change- Ir. Tjokorda Raka Sukawati. An alumnus of Institut Teknologi Bandung, he was an engineer who found the Sosrobahu construction technique in his garage. With Jakarta’s traffic congestion as the core problem, Sosrobahu was created to simplify the construction of overpasses without disrupting nearby traffic flow. This innovation helped not only Indonesia but also the world’s infrastructure issue, especially with its generated strength that reaches 100 years.

“Innovation comes in three levels. Sosrobahu itself is an example of a level-two innovation,” he explained. The first level is the incremental innovation which improves matters on a smaller scale. The second level like Sosrobahu are those that invent new products or techniques.

On the other note, the third innovation level is the systematic level; it is the highest level and causes large, significant changes. Systemic innovation discusses the invention of such product while examining its sustainability through the utilization system. An example would be Elon Musk’s innovation in the car and space industries.

Chris added that many TED Talks episodes had explained the methods for turning innovations into a cultural practice. However, these episodes pointed out that ideas do not suddenly appear; they come to minds that are ready. For preparations, various inputs are required.

“Bring people together from across disciplines,” Chris advised. “Do not be afraid of making mistakes.”

He also reminded the audiences that in the process of innovating, following others’ designs and schemes is unneeded. “Every person has the potential to be cultivated and Indonesia has a great prospect in deciding its future,” he concluded.

Reporter: Zahra Annisa Fitri (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2019)
Translator: Ruth Nathania (Teknik Lingkungan, 2019)