SPQR Innovation

While the Roman Empire is known for its impressive engineering feats, such as aqueducts and the Coliseum, there are many lesser-known innovations that provide valuable lessons for today's innovation practitioners. For example, the breakwater at Caesarea in Judea was constructed by taking advantage of the natural flow of the sea, resulting in the creation of one of the most spacious harbors in the world at that time. This provides a lesson for innovation practitioners to find pathways to developing new ideas that mirror existing flows of ideas within an organization. Another Roman innovation, the water collection system at Masada, points to the importance of capturing bursts of intense and valuable activity that needs to be stored for future use. The location of amphitheaters in Roman cities and the political innovations of the Roman tribune Gaius Sempronius Gracchus provide additional lessons for today's innovation practitioners. These innovations highlight the importance of looking for opportunities to interact and guide innovation discussions, as well as directing discussions to the appropriate audience.