Utilizing the “ Edison Incremental Improvement Style “ and the “ Tesla Visionary Breakthrough Style “ are important to Innovate for Impact
In 1884, Nikola Tesla visited Thomas Edison’s Manhattan office with a letter of introduction – “ My Dear Edison, I know two great men and you are one of them ; the other is this young man” ! While their partnership only lasted for 6 months, their different innovation styles has influenced the world since. Since electrification could be based on Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC), it was referred to as the ” War of Currents ” that was a battle of egos and product rivalry based on different innovation styles –
- Edison believed in relentless experimentation, incremental improvement, and rapid commercialization.
- Tesla embraced visionary breakthroughs, profound theoretical insight, and fully formed conceptual leaps.
The lesson from this – Innovators in enterprises and startup founders often default to one of these styles or methodologies, depending on personal preference to effect change or deliver new value, and/or familiarity with either style, and/or their risk tolerance, and/or reward expectations, etc. To respect this and the need to make innovation rewarding, the Edison – Tesla styles shows that innovation works best when people understand both approaches, adopting each based on the objectives, opportunity, risk considerations, context, and strategy.
Inventors Shaped by Different Paths
Edison and Tesla’s innovation philosophies arose from their different personalities and backgrounds.
While Thomas Edison had only 3 months of formal education, he self-educated through experimentation to develop product and his business skills. Because he was ambitious and entrepreneurial (ie: in recognizing and making good on opportunity), Edison developed a practical approach to invention based on his experiences in selling newspapers, establishing small businesses, and tinkering with telegraph equipment. To him, Innovation meant disciplined trial-and-error, concrete experimentation, and commercialization – with detailed documentation.
In contrast, Nikola Tesla was formally trained as a theoretical thinker. He was educated at the Austrian Polytechnic School where he developed a remarkable ability to visualize complete inventions. Tesla saw innovation as elegant leaps born from insight rather than sheer effort. He claimed he could mentally construct, test, troubleshoot, and refine his creations long before physically constructing them.
Two accomplished inventors, two very different innovation models with both being effective – but having fundamentally very different approaches to discovery and the associated business considerations.
Edison’s Methodical Innovation Style
In 1876, Edison established America’s first industrial research laboratory in Menlo Park, CA – a systematic ” innovation factory “, where teams of people tested thousands of variations on each invention and meticulously recording every outcome. For example, Edison’s lab evaluated over 6,000 filament materials – including cotton thread, coconut fibers, horsehair, and carbonized bamboo – to perfect the incandescent bulb. The failures were viewed as “ lessons learned “ to make incremental improvements based on the notion “I haven’t failed – I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work ” ! Further, Edison emphasized practicality – ” Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent “. Edison didn’t just invent products; he created commercialization frameworks. His Pearl Street Station didn’t just demonstrate electric illumination; it delivered it successfully at scale, powering homes and businesses. His genius lay in transforming inventions into commercial realities. This approach is how we electrified with Direct Current.
Tesla’s Visionary Innovation Style
Nikola Tesla approached innovation as a creative scientist. He preferred solving problems conceptually first, then doing methodical physical experimentation. An example of this is while walking through a park at sunset, Tesla visualized the practical design for an AC (Alternating Current) motor that was considered impossible. He described innovation as intuitive flashes – moments of insight that revealed new paradigms. Tesla proclaimed, ” The present is theirs – the future is mine “. Tesla’s polyphase AC system represented a transformational leap forward stemming from his visionary ideas delivered in lectures and demonstrations that captured public attention. Despite challenges in commercialization, Tesla’s innovations eventually reshaped society and the technological landscape.
Why the ” War of Currents ” Still Matters
The Edison-Tesla rivalry underscores a fundamental truth : different opportunities and challenges demand different innovation styles or strategies –
- Edison’s incremental and commercial methodology excelled at refining established technologies. His systematic experimentation drove improvements, scaling proven innovations quickly and sustainably.
- Tesla’s visionary model broke through significant constraints, solving major problems and generating disruptive innovations.
Combined, Tesla’s visionary approach and Edison’s commercial rigor resulting in impactful innovation since both approaches contributed to electrifying the world. Tesla’s AC system became foundational infrastructure, long-distance electrical transmission that Edison’s DC power couldn’t match. Yet his methodology defined practical applications and iterative improvements to electrical technology, prompting market adoption and ongoing innovation.
To “ Innovate for Impact “ , it’s important to recognize and leverage both innovation styles.
Modern Examples of Success with both Innovation Styles
Under Steve Jobs, Apple exemplified this balance. Jobs embodied Tesla-like intuitive leaps, envisioning revolutionary products. Yet, Apple’s sustained leadership and growth required continuous iteration – refinement, development, and optimization.
SpaceX blends both innovation styles. Elon Musk’s vision – reusable rockets, interplanetary travel – reflects Tesla’s innovative leaps, breaking traditional thinking. Yet it executes ambitions through rigorous experimentation, relentless iterative testing, and constant incremental improvements.
Google X keeps visionary goals alongside disciplined testing, combining Tesla’s bold dreaming with Edison’s systematic rigor. Innovations like self-driving cars start as ambitions and advance through incremental milestones, structured experimentation, and data-driven development.
Open AI reimagined the use of Artificial Intelligence with a Large Language Model (LLM) to augment human capabilities by making it easy and quick to learn.
Leveraging Both Innovation Styles to Succeed
How should we apply this insight on innovation to improve outcomes ? The key is to develop self-awareness about your innovation style and collaborate with others having a different and complimenting style to assess when each is suitable. Consider the innovation challenges thoughtfully and determine how your organization could utilize both approaches to make innovation more rewarding based on using –
To “ Innovate for Impact “ –
- Encourage ” Visionary Spaces ” – with dedicated time for deep contemplation, creative visualization, and brainstorming (free from operational demands or pressures).
- Maintain disciplined experimentation labs – with structured, data-driven testing setups optimized for gradual innovation.
- Develop metrics to track visionary breakthroughs and incremental improvements in distinct ways.
- Utilize complementary innovation personalities (Internal and External people) that balance visionary thinkers with systematic experimenters.
Summary
Realize the Edison-Tesla Innovation Styles are Synergistic and Facilitate the Creation of New Opportunities and Value
And recognize that Edison versus Tesla is a false dichotomy since being good at innovation requires utilizing both visionary leaps and consistent rigor. History shows there is a need for both the Tesla and Edison innovation styles – with the most successful innovators adapting each method to the challenge, culture, opportunity, the risk / reward, etc.
Because of this, successful innovators combine both approaches since there are times when visionary creativity or disciplined iteration is needed – and not fixating on one innovation method over another (ie: Lean Startup, Design Thinking, Agile).
With many ways to innovate and many variables on the path to creating new capabilities / products / services with high value that meaningfully improve business outcomes, it’s important to employ innovation methodological diversity. The Edison-Tesla experience proves that enduring breakthroughs arise from visionary leaps strengthened by meticulous execution.
The Bottom Line – Utilizing both innovation styles better positions you and your organization to innovate for impact, create significant new value, have competitive advantage, and achieve your business goals.
June 11, 2025 by Todd Gagne / CAIL CAIL Innovation commentary
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