Leapfrogging

Leapfrogging is a technology concept, where countries (typically) skip a development mode of an developed country and directly reach the next level.

So, if one takes the case of India - India never really achieved landline connectivity in phones and leapfrogged into the mobile phone age - and achieved far greater connectivity and much faster. Most likely, the power revolution will go the same way - we may achieve far greater green power reach without the intermediate step of dirty power.

Extend that to the personal world. Sometimes, refusing to upgrade to a new technology immediately, assures one of a technological leapfrog later. For example, if one had skipped purchasing a high end DVD player - the door is open to invest in a streaming device - which is what the world is moving to. Waiting a little longer for a new technology to emerge may result in some benefits later on.

Organizations typically invest in a big ticket technology or system and then are saddled with it for a while. Is there an optimal solution there? Perhaps not. 

Filed under useless posts, I suppose!