Innovation and Teamwork

This is an interesting paper, The Burden of Knowledge and the 'Death of the Renaissance Man': Is Innovation Getting Harder? , which is a $5 download (boo! hiss!) from the National Bureau of Economic Research , which finds among other that:

1. As the volume of knowldge grows over time, invention requires a depth and breadth of knowldge that is impossible for single individuals to attain,
2. this will encourage researchers to become more specialized
3. innovation will require more teamwork

Some of the vindicating data - it is taking longer for PhDs to finish their dissertations, innovation in more mature fields is generated by larger teams comprised of more specialized members - and its all in the patents.