Steven Johnson
Lists / People

Steven Johnson

Where Good Ideas Come From; adjacent-possible curator.

Author of "Where Good Ideas Come From" and "How We Got to Now," tracing the environmental and historical conditions that produce innovation.

@stevenbjohnsonWikipedia
#36Mental Model Curators
55/ 100
Authority scoreEstablished
1lists#36peak1primary1category
14
Top 100 Mental Model Curators
Rank #36·Where Good Ideas Come From; adjacent-possible curator.
Frameworks

Attributed to Steven Johnson

Mental models, principles, and operating frameworks extracted from sources where Steven is the credited author or speaker.

7frameworks
01
Exaptation
Breakthrough innovation often comes from repurposing existing ideas, tools, or traits for entirely new and unintended uses
Innovation·from Where Good Ideas Come From
02
Liquid Networks
Innovation thrives in environments where ideas can flow, collide, and recombine freely without being locked in place or scattered into chaos
Innovation·from Where Good Ideas Come From
03
Platforms and Stacking
The most powerful innovations build on existing platforms, creating layered stacks that enable subsequent generations of builders
Innovation·from Where Good Ideas Come From
04
Serendipity
Creating environmental and mental conditions that maximize the chance of productive accidents and unexpected connections
Innovation·from Where Good Ideas Come From
05
The Adjacent Possible
Innovation happens at the boundaries of what is currently achievable, expanding the frontier with each new combination
Innovation·from Where Good Ideas Come From
06
The Seven Patterns of Innovation
Create the environmental conditions where breakthrough ideas naturally emerge
Innovation·from Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
07
The Slow Hunch
Great ideas rarely arrive as sudden eureka moments but instead evolve slowly over years through patient cultivation and connection
Innovation·from Where Good Ideas Come From
Domains

Framework distribution

7frameworks
Innovation7 frameworks · 0%
Bibliography

Sources by Steven Johnson

3sources
Book
2010
Where Good Ideas Come From
Book·12 frameworks extracted
2010
Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
Book·2 frameworks extracted
—
Future Perfect: The Case For Progress In A Networked Age
Book
Appears alongside

Top neighbors of Steven Johnson

8people
01
Aaron Stupple
explanations-and-progress curator.
1shared list
02
Adam Mastroianni
Experimental History; meta-science curator.
1shared list
03
Adam Robinson
Robinson Global Strategic Advisors; meta-learning.
1shared list
04
Alain de Botton
School of Life; philosophy-as-life-tools curator.
1shared list
05
Alan Watts
eastern-philosophy translator for the West.
1shared list
06
Andy Matuschak
evergreen notes; spaced-repetition-based memory systems.
1shared list
07
Anne-Laure Le Cunff
Ness Labs; mindful productivity / tiny experiments.
1shared list
08
Atul Gawande
checklist; medicine-meets-systems essayist.
1shared list
Last updated
10 May 2026
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