Innovation is important to the progression of society, communities, and the products used every day. From Microsoft to Warby Parker, the importance of empathy in innovation is evident. “Innovation doesn’t happen in insolation.” – Neil Blumenthal, Warby Parker CEO (TwentyOneToys). By introducing empathy to innovation, the ability to be inclusive without regard to socioeconomic class can be accomplished, and the allocation of resources can be unbiased. While innovation is important, it is equally important to consider that when innovations lack empathetic consideration, they can inadvertently exclude or harm marginalized communities, and those communities that lack resources. By identifying social and economic behaviors that have an impact on empathy, we can gain a better understanding of how a lack of empathy leads to innovative inequities. We must also consider that while empathy and innovation may be intertwined, they may not always align perfectly.
Fundamental to our human experience is the ability to connect with other people and exchange ideas. By listening and understanding the struggles some face in our community, we begin to understand the true importance of those in our community, as well as their needs. The City of Cincinnati implemented a free wi-fi technology called “Smart Cincy” to the downtown area in January of 2018 (Cincinnati, City of). By implementing this technology, the City of Cincinnati envisioned that it would ultimately ignite economic growth, improve public safety, and most importantly, “bridge the digital divide through proliferation of ubiquitous, high-speed broadband internet access”. This implementation of wi-fi technology is a perfect example of how empathy and innovation are intertwined. The idea of creating a “Smart City” came from the ability to create a government that is run more efficiently, and to deliver solutions to the constituents of the City of Cincinnati. Having wi-fi technology will energize constituents to report issues, such as potholes, to government officials conveniently from their phone, regardless of their phone provider. A city councilmember answered the following question about the digital divide, and equity; “Yes, absolutely. I think treating access to the internet as a necessity instead of a ‘nice to have’ is where the equity piece of being a smart city comes in” (Pyzyk). By ensuring that everyone has access to this wi-fi technology, the City of Cincinnati is including everyone in the city, regardless of social or economic class. When resources are allocated to the collective whole, rather than one demographic area, or social/economic class, innovation can thrive.
It is important to note that socioeconomic disparities can create a divide between those who have different backgrounds, which could make it more difficult to relate to each other. By identifying these differences in social and economic backgrounds and creating public policy, we can alleviate some of the burdens of those who are at a disadvantage. For instance, those with lower socio-economic backgrounds, adversity, social support, financial stress and collectivistic cultures may tend to foster higher levels of empathy than those with higher socio-economic backgrounds and the downward social comparison (Manstead). Using these socioeconomic disparities to our advantage can be a complex issue. On the other hand, economic policy in government has provided evidence that public policy can help alleviate some of those disparities. For example, within the American Resue Plan of 2021, a key element expanded the Child Tax Credit. According to Elise Gould from the Economic Policy Institute, the ARP Child Tax Credit is the leading reason that child poverty fell so precipitously from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021 (Gould). By creating public policy to lift people out of poverty, it is possible to zoom in and focus on the empathy those previous disparities caused. Those who have experienced financial hardship tend to have empathy for others in the same situation and motivate helping behaviors (Manstead). One of the most important aspects of empathy is that it often comes from those individuals who are more attuned to others’ suffering due to their own experiences. This allows for individuals to have a deeper understanding of how certain situations and/or public policy may have a positive or negative effect on others. In a example of using suffering as a means of understanding, Policy Matters Ohio, an Ohio non-profit organization, uses research through strategic communications and coalitions; by focusing on the suffering of people, constituents of Ohio, they have used this research to effect policy change by advocating for an economy that works for everyone (Policy Matters Ohio).
While empathy and innovation may be intertwined, we must also recognize that they may not always align perfectly and can cause disparities of their own. Innovation requires a focus on efficiency and productivity. Taking the empathic approach by considering the feelings of everyone, this process can significantly slow down the decision-making and the implementation of policy and/or ideas. Empathy comes from the unique experiences of an individual. Those individuals may not have the ability to have an outside perspective, counter to their own experiences. By having a collective group of people who may have similar experiences, decisions may tend to focus on those experiences alone, thus creating a risk of bias. Those of us who can emphasize with others know and understand that constantly considering other people’s feelings can be exhausting, and lead to emotional burnout. When our emotions cloud our judgement, or the lack of emotion hinders our ability to be creative, this might lead to the inability to collaborate on innovative ideas with other individuals or teams.
We can all agree that empathy plays a crucial role in fostering innovation, even though the two concepts may not always align perfectly. Even though innovation can be seen as a driver of progress, lack of empathy in decision-making can sometimes deepen inequities within communities, or in comparison to other socioeconomic classes. Education is an important part of our life, but we must consider that not everyone is born with the same opportunities. In communities that lack resources due to economic and family situations, there is statistical data from the U.S. Department of Education that high poverty districts spend 15.6% less on each student than those in more affluent districts (Close the Gap Foundation). Less spending in these communities causes these students to be 2-3 years behind their more affluent peers. When a concentration of resources is allocated to those affluent communities, innovations can far outpace those of lower-income communities, which tend to exacerbate existing inequities by placing resources and wealth in the hands of a few rather than in the collective.
Research has shown that innovation and empathy are intertwined, and that empathy plays an important and crucial role when it comes to decision-making in the innovation of public policy, product design, and development of communities. There are many examples of how lack of an empathetic approach can lead to access and opportunity gaps, resource concentration and even biases in innovative designs. While using empathy in decision-making when it comes to innovation, we must also consider that it is important to not allow these processes to slow down, or stall due to an overwhelming number of empathic processes. We must have a diverse group of individuals with different experiences, and not allow over-thinking to cloud the judgement or hinder the ability to be creative. After all, innovation comes from creative thinking, free of biases.
Cincinnati, City of. City, Cincinnati Bell Bring Free Wi-Fi to Downtown. 18 December 2018. <https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityofcincinnati/news/city-cincinnati-bell-bring-free-wi-fi-to-downtown/>.
Close the Gap Foundation. Opportunity Gap. n.d. 20 September 2024. <https://www.closethegapfoundation.org/glossary/opportunity-gap#:~:text=Opportunity%20Gap%20Examples&text=By%20the%20time%20a%20child,or%20approach%20certain%20career%20paths.>.
Gould, Elise. Child Tax Credit expansions were instrumental in reducing poverty rates to historic lows in 2021. 22 September 2022. <https://www.epi.org/blog/child-tax-credit-expansions-were-instrumental-in-reducing-poverty-to-historic-lows-in-2021/#:~:text=Within%20that%2C%20the%20expanded%20Child,the%20lowest%20rate%20on%20record.>.
Manstead, Antony S. R. "The psychology of social class: How socioeconomic status impacts thought, feelings, and behaviour." British Joural of Social Psychology Volume 57 Issue 2. April 2018. 267-291. <https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjso.12251>.
Policy Matters Ohio. Overview of Policy Matters Ohio. 2024. 20 September 2024. <https://www.policymattersohio.org/who-we-are>.
Pyzyk, Katie. Inside the Wi-Fi project illuminating Cincinnati’s ‘Smart Cincy’ vision. 17 January 2019. <https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/inside-the-wi-fi-project-illuminating-cincinnatis-smart-cincy-vision/546104/>.
TwentyOneToys. 3 CEOs Using Empathy to Unlock Innovation. n.d. 20 September 2024. <https://twentyonetoys.com/blogs/future-of-work/3-ceos-using-empathy-to-unlock-innovation?srsltid=AfmBOoriurxL-zhxYJiz0DU9mv_dwvLYutItkcuKB3JrB_8HxmkU652b>.
*Some ideas and suggestions were with the help of Copilot AI with the research from the articles referenced above*