Explosions of industrial creativity rarely follow the invention or discovery of a technology, but instead its commoditization – that is, it wasn't the discovery of electricity, but Edison's introduction of utility services for electricity that produced the creative boom that led to recorded music, modern movies, consumer electronics and even Silicon Valley. However, utility provision of electricity did more than just create a new world – it disrupted existing industries (both directly and through reduced barriers of entry). It also allowed for new practices and methods of working to emerge, and even resulted in new economic forms – such as Henry Ford's Fordism.

This isn't a one-off pattern. The cycle of invention/commoditization repeats throughout our industrial history, following a surprisingly consistent pathway. Understanding this pattern is critical to anticipating the changes emerging in our industry today — whether that's the web, cloud computing or the future changes that 3D printing will bring.

In our report, Learning from Web 2.0, we explore this pathway, its theoretical underpinnings and how it impacts us. We look at why we resist it (inertia) and what we can do to cope with a future that will be very different than the past. By focusing on the changes stemming from cloud computing, we examine how tomorrow's Fords are appearing and what we can learn from this next generation of industrial organization.