Can Innovation Come from Minimalist Thinking? Simplicity VS Disruption?
Today, we’re changing pace—a thought on evolution and the development of ideas versus the need to claim revolution and disruption…which rarely ever is as stated. Read on…
Where does evolution begin? Forgetting the theatrics and the theology (often hard to tell them apart, n’est-ce pas?), where does an idea begin? Or end for that matter?
For example, when it became clear that cars would dominate the roads, most of the craftsmen who produced whips and halters for the horse and buggy went out of business. That is, except for the really smart few who saw the transition as the next step in the evolution of transportation and started producing car parts. In fact, the famous Body by Fisher, a staple of GM for many years, began as a carriage manufacturer before the mechanized age.
Bill Gates said that Microsoft has failed only when trying to change basic behavior, while enhancements to what we do are always successful.?
Smartphones are direct descendants of the Walkman (look it up, youngens), which itself can be traced to the storytellers who accompanied tribes way back when. Even your mouse and keyboard are the latest in a long line of evolutionary innovation that goes straight back to cave paintings and rock carvings.
So if for a moment you agree that innovation is evolution, and that evolution is progress, and we are all about progress—moving ahead, staying ahead, and having the competitive edge—how do we short circuit the development process and become serious innovators?
Simply put, it is about getting back to the basics—a “simple” philosophy that is easy to grasp and easy to market. It is a concept that, rather than limit, opens up infinite horizons, and rather than being past-focused, can propel us unfettered into the future.
Call it the minimalist view. This is how successful consultant companies migrate from era to era. The view is that there is always a core to any business that has little or nothing to do with the outward veneer of the business. For example, they might look at the steps from manufacture to market and lump all of the businesses with the same steps together. The fact that one is a food producer and the other makes clothes is simply commentary to them.?
They might argue that streaming, cable, and broadcast are really about content distribution and look at similar revenue models as opposed to looking at them as individual and unrelated problems…shocking thought…except that it's now, finally, becoming mainstream thinking.?
The minimalist view strips a company to its bare essentials and tries to understand it in the harsh light of no trappings.
It is the minimalist view that allows a buggy manufacturer to become a car maker and Google to start with a “blank” page. And it is that same view that needs to propel our own business development, product innovation, and company evolution—not to mention start-up focus and mentality.?
Simply put, as it were, here is the thought:
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“Fundamental progress has to do with the reinterpretation of basic ideas." —Alfred North Whitehead?
And there you are.?
We need to be able to reinterpret the primal needs of people, across all walks of life, across all segments, and in all regions.
We need to understand the impact of events, the potential of technology, and the pressures of the day as we create meaningful products and leverage important opportunities.
And we need to start with the basics—people and their needs—instead of getting caught up in the complications and unique issues of our own business models or those of Wall Street that so often cloud and muddy the waters of our thinking.
A current real-world example all marketers should be paying clear and simple attention to is Taylor Swift:
Taylor Swift is a believer in simple marketing:
?No DIGIBABBLE “experiential” moments…No DIGIBABBLE Metaverse deal, just simplicity.?
?Return to basics. We all need it.
What do you think? And keep the comments simple…
PS – I’d love to hear your examples of simple evolutionary innovation…Gutenberg to the Internet, for example. And please, no complaining about not getting Taylor Swift tickets—wish I could help you.
CEO and Founder, Royalada | CRM Expert | Revolutionizing the Marketing World Through SaaS Technologies | Transparent and Empathetic Leadership
1 年Innovation doesn't have to be the most ground-breaking new invention. It can relate to something pre-existing but simply be executed in a way that makes people view it in a different light.
Chief Operating Officer NOVELPOTTA CAMEROUN | Head French Central & West Africa Hub NOVELPOTTA Group.
2 年Feeling refreshed by your call to get back to the basics that are still endlessly full of wealth.
University Teacher | Renewable Energy Professional REP | MBA with Marketing & Project Management concentrations | BSME in Thermal Power Systems.
2 年Simplicity is the governing rule matched to a straight line argument! The shortest path from points A and B is a straight line. However, when we are dealing with successful models of business and we want to continuously improve the model, the ever living nature of reseisance to change in organizational behavior, would surely require an innovative mind to think outside the box and disrupt the status quo!
Helping you get rid of your time-wasting tasks and tasks that never quite get done. ???????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????????????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? ??????????????!
2 年Excellent post. Thanks for sharing!
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2 年Thanks for sharing