Innovation Is Contagious: Lessons from Leonardo and Michelangelo
When people talk about innovation, they often treat it like a process, something you can document, manage, and control. From my perspective, innovation isn’t a checklist or a framework. It’s contagious.
It spreads through people, through ideas, through energy. It comes alive when creativity and competition collide, when inspiration is passed from one person to another, and when communities become breeding grounds for possibility.
How Rivalry Sparks Creativity
One of the most powerful examples comes from the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci was 50, Michelangelo was 29, and they were asked to paint side by side on the same wall in Florence. Think about that: two of the greatest geniuses of all time, competing shoulder to shoulder.
Neither of them finished their work. The rivalry was so intense it consumed them. But that unfinished wall did something extraordinary, it ignited an ecosystem. Their competition fueled the creativity of others, inspiring artists like Raphael and Rubens, and shaping an entire cultural movement.
That’s how innovation spreads. It doesn’t stop with the original creators. It ripples outward, creating waves of inspiration that others pick up and carry forward.
Clusters of Innovation Throughout History
The Renaissance wasn’t unique. Throughout history, we’ve seen these moments where competition, collaboration, and community spark explosive creativity:
Silicon Valley: Where rivalries between tech companies fueled the digital revolution.
The Tang Dynasty: A golden age of art, literature, and culture, powered by interaction and exchange.
Early hip hop: Born in the Bronx, where DJs, MCs, and dancers pushed each other creatively, birthing a global cultural force.
The NBA’s three-point revolution: Where players and teams reshaped the game through experimentation and rivalry.
These clusters remind us that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It thrives in ecosystems where people challenge, inspire, and push each other further.
The Power of Collaboration and Competition
It’s easy to think of competition as the enemy of collaboration, but in reality, they work best together. Rivalry pushes us to do better, while collaboration spreads ideas across boundaries.
When these forces combine, they create contagious innovation. That’s why the Renaissance exploded with creativity. That’s why Silicon Valley keeps reinventing the future. And that’s why organizations today can’t just focus on process, they need to focus on culture.
How Organizations Can Spark Contagious Innovation
The lesson for leaders is clear: you can’t force innovation with rigid systems. But you can design environments where it spreads naturally. Here’s how:
Build diverse, cross-disciplinary teams that bring different perspectives together.
Encourage open communication so ideas flow freely.
Create healthy competition alongside collaboration.
Foster a culture of experimentation and shared purpose.
When organizations create these conditions, innovation becomes more than a buzzword, it becomes a way of life.
Innovation as a Cultural Phenomenon
At its core, innovation isn’t about tools or processes. It’s about culture. It’s about people bouncing off one another, challenging one another, and inspiring one another.
From da Vinci and Michelangelo’s rivalry, to the rise of hip hop, to the breakthroughs of Silicon Valley, the story is the same: when creativity collides, it spreads.
That’s why I believe innovation is contagious. And if we want to spark it today, we don’t need more systems, we need more sparks.
Frequently Asked Questions
1 - What does creativity contagious mean?
Creativity is contagious when ideas and energy spread from one person to another. Rivalry, inspiration, and collaboration make creativity ripple outward, sparking more ideas and innovation in a community.
2 - What is the main idea of innovation?
Innovation isn’t a strict process or checklist. It’s about people, culture, and energy, where creativity, competition, and collaboration come together to spark new ideas that shape the future.
3 - What is the difference between innovation and creativity?
Creativity is the ability to come up with fresh ideas. Innovation takes those ideas further, spreading them, applying them, and turning them into real change that influences others.
4 - What is the role of competition in innovation?
Competition motivates people to do better, explore new ideas, and stay ahead. It pushes boundaries and encourages continuous improvement, which often leads to breakthroughs that benefit everyone.
5 - Why does innovation often happen in groups or communities?
Innovation thrives in communities because people inspire, challenge, and share ideas with each other. Collaboration and interaction create a fertile ground where creativity multiplies and spreads widely.
About the Author:
Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized disruption strategist and keynote speaker who helps organizations adapt to change and leverage disruptive thinking. Named one of the "Best New Speakers" by the National Speakers Bureau, Shawn has spoken at some of the world's most innovative organizations, including IBM, Walmart, and 3M. His expertise in digital disruption strategies helps leaders navigate transformation and build resilience in an increasingly uncertain business environment.