Hack:
What do innovative people actually do, and if we knew, could we teach it?
I don't know the answer to either part of this compound question, but I think we have to answer the first part, before we can answer the second part. To that end I have begun a research project seeking the input of supervisors who evaluate the performance of others, formally or informally, in any field. Please take a few minutes to share your insights through this link: https://indstate.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6ssmw3bcX5wmiGx and forward the link to others who might be interested in participating.
Hello Samuel.
Innovation involves making a connection between two or more existing concepts and joining them in such a way that something new emerges. We are all capable of doing this, but for most the 'new thing' we create is only new to us - we do this every time we learn anything new. Others working at the cutting edge of a specialized field may be able to make connections that create something genuinely new, but because the concepts they have joined are likely to be closely related (because they are specialists) the innovation could be seen as more of an improvement. One key to making really big innovations is wide framing - i.e. being able to connect seemingly disparate concepts. The other key is deep understanding. The deeper one digs, the more root connections one is able to uncover, and the more easy it is to recognize and make use of common patterns to make new connections.
Can we teach it? Innovative capacity is genetically inherited but it can certainly be enhanced through an educative process in which children are taught to ask 'why' rather than memorize 'how'.
hope that makes some sense
Neil
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Samuel, I've spent a lot of time on that question. I've reviewed the literature, studied the behaviors and habits of innovators and have a unique method for teaching them that I use in my courses at Northwestern and with clients. I've shared the approach in the M-prize competition on innovating innovation:
http://www.mixprize.org/hack/create-army-innovators-125-new-habit-format...
Mark
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