We navigate our digital lives with an almost unconscious reliance on the ‘escape’ key. Make a mistake, and with a single press, we instantly return to a previous state – the moment before the error. It’s a fundamental assumption of our interaction with technology: the ability to rewind, to undo, to return to the precise juncture before a misstep.

Then, a thought began to unfurl within me: Wouldn’t it be extraordinary to have an ‘escape key’ for life itself? To go back to the place just before a pivotal decision was made, to explore the roads not taken? This compelling notion set me off on a profound journey.

I began to research the very conditions under which certain key societal decisions were forged, venturing into the historical currents where pivotal choices shaped our present. What I uncovered were startling conclusions, challenging the tidy narratives we so often accept. We are frequently led to believe that the ‘best idea’ invariably triumphs, that progress unfolds in a linear, harmonious unison. But the reality, I discovered, does not quite work this way.

History, in truth, is a landscape of contest and contention. Usually, there are distinct groups, passionately ‘pro’ and fiercely ‘contra’ a particular direction. One side ultimately prevails, and the ‘losers,’ as Trotsky so starkly phrased it, are often relegated to the ‘dustbins of history.’

This begged a crucial question: Why did the winners win, and the losers lose? Often, the answer lies in the brute forces of power and money. Yet, sometimes, an idea was simply too early for its time, awaiting a different context, a shift in understanding. Or perhaps, it was merely a question of luck, a fleeting moment of serendipity or misfortune that tipped the scales.

These insights coalesced into the animating vision of Innovation Archaeology. What if we could develop a systematic approach to travel back in time, metaphorically speaking, to dig out these concepts that found themselves on the losing side of history? What if we could meticulously unearth them, carefully bring them into our present, redefine them within our new, contemporary context, and then, crucially, test their validity and potential once more?

That is precisely what Innovation Archaeology is all about: a methodical excavation of overlooked ideas, a reimagining of past possibilities to forge new futures. If this journey into the forgotten depths of innovation resonates with you, I invite you to sign up for our postings. A book detailing this approach is currently on its way, though it won’t be ready until 2026. And, eventually, we will have accompanying eLearning modules to delve even deeper into this fascinating field.