Myth busting: Innovation requires no magic stardust
A dinner with physician and commentator Edward de Bono, who coined the term ‘lateral thinking’, was an inspirational moment for Mark’s thinking on originality. Here’s why.
Creativity is not a rare superpower bestowed upon true mavericks. In reality, truly new ideas rarely emerge spontaneously from the air or pop into someone’s head. I think of innovation as making previously unseen connections. In doing so, suddenly, we’re playing to one of the great strengths that we have as humans. Our brains are naturally good at connecting things and forming links.
Sometimes, however, too good. Our brains take shortcuts to reinforce perceived links and are trained to work within our man-made boundaries, such as education and process. The result? We are programmed to artificially contain ourselves in the world of what we already know.
This realisation is well documented by Edward De Bono – author of eighty-five books – who coined the term ‘lateral thinking’. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Edward De Bono for a long dinner back in 2005. By then, I was already working with his techniques to inspire innovation at P&G, and we had the chance to discuss his theories and models at length. I found his ‘Rivers of Thinking’ theory about the workings of the brain very powerful.
The main thrust of the premise was that creativity rests on establishing conditions where barriers are removed and where new links or connections can be made. In other words, conditions that allow ANYONE to become an ideas expert and for the magic to flow.
To do this, we can utilise creative thinking techniques, and I’ve included some of my favourites in the FURNACE toolkit in The Entrepreneur Within. These techniques break down our existing beliefs, assumptions and ‘rivers of thought’.
As Orson Scott Card so eloquently puts it, ‘We question all of our beliefs, except for the ones we really believe in, and those we never think to question.’
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*The above is a partially edited extract from the chapter on Originality in The Entrepreneur Within by Mark Roberts.
