A high leverage pattern I see over and over again: designing processes/tools/etc such that they capture implicit knowledge and make it explicit, legible, and enduring.
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"The act of invention may simply be making conscious, explicit, and regular what has been done for a considerable time unconsciously or by accident." Elting Morison in https://www.amazon.com/Men-Machines-Modern-Times-Press/dp/0262529319 …, which is a great book.
We've spoken a lot about how important implicit/process knowledge is, but this isn't the only reason why inventions mostly happen in developed countries. It's 2001, you're Chinese and your goal is to get rich. Do you pick nanotech or a shoe factory?
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You pick the shoe factory because it has a much better risk-reward profile. So, part of the reason why innovations don't happen in undeveloped countries, is because they are not necessary to get great outcomes, whereas in developed countries innovations are necessary.
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So, while I think the research that counts Chinese patents is totally fucking useless, it is clear that as China has become richer it has also become more innovative. It's not just because it's becoming smarter, but because the easy low-cost arbitrage opportunities are gone.
End of conversation
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