What does it take to innovate?

"An iconoclast . . . A person that does something that others say can't be done."

- Gregory Berns, Iconoclast

"Fear is the greatest inhibitor of innovation."

- Gregory Berns, Iconoclast

Anybody with even the tiniest interest in innovation knows the importance of "thinking differently" or "thinking outside the box." These phrases are often thrown about willy nilly without spending much time digging down to discover just how we actually go about thinking differently. Or, better yet, what stops us from thinking differently? I've worked in many business environments in different parts of the world and I can say from my own experience that, for the most part, it is continuity, not thinking differently that reigns supreme. In the context of innovation, this is the "C" word. Fear is the "F" word. Of course, continuity and fear are often garnished with the usual "we value our people" or "we are an innovative firm/city/nation etc." lacquer. Horse crap. As you can tell, I've become quite cynical towards this whole innovation thing. But we should also remember this:

"All businesses, no matter how strong they seem to be at a given moment, ultimately fail -- and almost always because they failed to innovate."

- Thomas K. McCraw, Prophet of Innovation

So we have a strange situation: we know we must innovate, but, at the same time, we are incapable of doing so. Unless . . . ?

Below is an interesting talk from Gregory Berns, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, on what happens to individuals in group settings at the level of the brain. I love this bottom-up approach to innovation.

By the way, please note the new Blogspot address for my Blog: http://innovation-definitions.blogspot.com or simply http://www.brokenbulbs.com

Have a great, bold New Year. You deserve it!