The Mythical World of Innovation: A Tale of Fragments and Connections
Bob Roitblat
Illuminating your path to innovative thinking, a future-proof mindset, and leadership prowess. | An international speaker & consultant. | TED Speaker | TV Villain
In the mythical world of innovation, we often conceive a great idea as a single, monumental eureka moment—a bolt from the blue, a fully-formed solution presented on a silver platter of genius. We imagine innovation as a shiny, singular object—an end result of a well-formulated thought or plan of action that ignites growth, sparks change, fuels advancement, inspires adaptation, or uncovers new insight. Yet, this picture is more fantasy than reality.
Innovation is not a product of organizations; it's a human endeavor. It's born from people responding to needs, ignited by flashes of inspiration. People create the landscape of innovation; they are the engineers of novel ideas and solutions. They're the master experimenters, the designers, the implementers—the life-force that brings novel concepts into existence.
However, the birth of an innovative idea is not an immaculate conception. Ideas don't spring from the mind in full bloom. Instead, they emerge as fragments, tiny shards of insight, pieced together to form a mosaic of innovation.
Imagine an idea as an organism—not a standalone entity, but rather a vibrant, living ecosystem, teeming with a variety of organisms that form an intricate web of interconnected existence. This is innovation—an amalgamation of many smaller ideas chained together, each contributing to the strength, resilience, and adaptability of the whole.
This complex, intricate process exists because no one person possesses all the knowledge necessary to create an entire solution to a complex problem or fill a multifaceted need. Each person holds a unique piece of the puzzle—an asymmetric distribution of knowledge and insight. In your organization, each individual harbors knowledge that only they possess. They see the world through a lens colored by their experiences, insights, and skills—each adding a distinct hue to the collective image.
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Collaboration, therefore, is the lifeblood of innovation. It is the process of connecting these unique fragments, each carrying a distinct piece of the larger puzzle, that gives birth to a new, innovative solution. In this sense, innovation is a team sport—a symphony of minds working together, each contributing their unique melodies to compose a harmonious masterpiece.
Remember, your organization is an idea factory—full of fragments waiting to be connected, full of untapped innovative potential. Embrace the fragments, encourage collaboration, foster an environment of openness, and watch as your teams assemble these pieces into a mosaic of innovation.
Innovation is not born from fully formed ideas but from the beautiful assembly of fragments. Welcome to the real world of innovation—a world where fragments meet to create the future.