Mark Stefik is a long-time denizen of the fabled Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) facility (now spun out into a wholly owned subsidiary that also undertakes research projects sponsored by other companies and organizations). His wife, Barbara, is a psychologist, involved, in part, in dream work and spirituality. Together, they have authored a book on the process of invention [1]. If the book is as interesting as this interview with Stefik, it will be well worth reading.

I’m one who believes that the process of invention in science and engineering is quite similar to the process of creativity in the arts. In the interview, Stefik offers powerful evidence supporting that thesis. (Whether or not he subscribes to the thesis isn’t disclosed in the interview.) He speaks of the overwhelming emotional experience of the “Aha!” moment, a sensation quite familiar to artists who make creative breakthroughs. He also analyzes the subsequent dry spells that inventors have, spells for which novelists have a different name. He describes the tricks that inventors use to break out of their dry spells, which will also sound familiar to artistic types.

As well as exploring the psychology of invention, Stefik discusses the evolution of PARC, from a captive research facility, focused on information technology (IT) inventions, to a reasonably independent research facility, reaching beyond silicon into biotech, and other new areas of investigation for new clients. In that context, he identifies the other departments of corporate entities that need to be involved in moving from invention to innovation, and the effects of business cycles on an enterprise’s interest in invention.

This is a breezy and engaging introduction to the themes pursued in Breakthrough, which Stefik says is aimed at science policy makers, future scientists, and anyone else who needs to understand how invention and innovation work.