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Where Innovation Is Not Welcome

Not long ago, I highlighted a school district in Minnesota that is flipping the typical educational approach around.  Students learn their lessons as "homework" and then do their assignments in class under the instruction of the teacher.

Reactions were mixed, as they always are for radical new ideas, but I was particularly intrigued by one commentator who declared vehemently:

I can't lie. I think this model is horrible. I'm not convinced that the content and difficulty level of the lessons aren't suffering. If the goal is to provide kids with extra help in mathematics a teacher can always offer extra help sessions. Parents can become more responsible in offering help as well. We need to make sure that math is taught and drilled live in a classroom so that any nuances or problems can be addressed on the spot.

Furthermore, to rely on children to watch videos at home and then "work together" to solve problems is to take a huge gamble on an educational system whose math skills are already lagging alarmingly behind much of the rest of the world's. I mean, most Americans who come out of public schools are basically mathematically illiterate compared to Chinese and Indian students of a comparable socioeconomic level.

What's utterly fascinating to me is that this commentator flat-out admits that our schools are not currently doing a good job of educating students - but then goes on to insist that if we all just put more effort into the status quo, the problems will be solved.

So what's going on here?  Why insist that it's better to continue doing something that isn't working without even giving a new idea a fair chance?  If educating our children is so important, why don't we want to push for a more effective system?

Perhaps it's because educating our children is... well... so important! 

If that makes no sense to you, consider another critically important decision people have to make: whether or not to be organ donors.

In the excellent book Predictably Irrational, behavioral economist Dan Ariely writes about organ donation rates in different countries. He points out that the overwhelming indicator of whether a country has high or low organ donation rates is not based on how organ donation is viewed in the country.  Actually, the main factor is whether the default organ donation option is to opt-in or opt-out on the form:

You might think that people do this because they don’t care. That the decision about donating their organs is so trivial that they can’t be bothered to lift up the pencil and check the box. But in fact the opposite is true. This is a hard emotional decision about what will happen to our bodies after we die and what effect it will have on our those close to us. It is because of the difficulty and the emotionality of these decisions that they just don’t know what to do so they adopt the default option.

And consequently, the vast majority of people are so overwhelmed by the immensity of their decision that they shy away from making the "wrong choice" and pick whatever is the default. 

To me, it seems like this happens too with our educational system.  Educating children is incredibly important and nearly everyone cares about it.  Yet, we are still teaching in the same way we taught children to be good factory workers 50 years ago - even thought the world is a completely different place today.

It is absolutely true that educators today face incredible challenges - such as parents who are less engaged, children with more behavioral issues, increased distractions, more children coming from poverty (and all the attendant problems), etc, etc.  All of those things make it harder for teachers to do their job and teach well.

But those challenges aren't going to go away, and it's naive to think that they will if everyone just tries a little harder.  That ship has sailed, and the world is changed.  Now it's time to design an educational system that does work for the needs of students today.

Yet instead of pushing to radically reform our school system, we instead just glop on more tests and accountability standards - without pushing for innovative changes in how people teach.

The fact is, it might be an awful idea to turn the school day around by having students learn at home and do their work/synthesize information in class.  But, it is an idea and shouldn't just be dismissed out of hand. Otherwise, what we're doing is creating a stagnant educational culture in America and making it a place where innovation is not welcome.

And that, I fear, is the worst travesty of all!

Zenyatta and the Burden of Perfection.

Last weekend, Zenyatta, one of the greatest racehorses in America, proved that she is one of the all-time greats.  Rocketing from last-to-first in a desperate finish where she won by a tiny margin, Zenyatta became the first racehorse in American history to win 17 top-level races in a row.

Zenyatta has never lost a race and her victory last year at the Breeders' Cup Championship over male horses was absolutely incredible.

But despite her greatness and how much I love watching her run, I want Zenyatta to place 2nd soon.  Here's why:

Zenyatta has owners who shunned risk.  When she began racing, Zenyatta quickly dominated the older female division.  She'd fly away from the field so easily that it was clear the other mares were completely outclassed. But Zenyatta's owners wanted her to retire undefeated.  So instead of launching to greater challenges against the bigger, stronger male horses, Zenyatta competed endlessly against horses she'd already vanquished.

What really annoys me about this is that when Zenyatta finally did race against the top males, she totally blew them away. And that's so disappointing!  It tells me that she belonged in the top-ranked competition all year instead of competing solely against the smaller, weaker females.

By trying to maintain a perfect record in order to get their horse into the Hall of Fame, Zenyatta's owners have chosen to go with the easier races for almost her entire career.  It's a horrible shame, in my opinion.

Greatness in racing, and in innovation, and every other aspect of life, comes from taking on the tough challenges and succeeding more than failing. 

That means champions can't be afraid of having a bad day.  The best racehorses ever in America (Secretariat and Man 'o War) both lost - and then came back twice as strong in their next race.  Of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, only two never lost a race, and they aren't even in the top 10.

So I actually wish that Zenyatta had lost last weekend.  Because then her owners wouldn't have to make every decision while fearing to ruin her perfect record. Then, they could pit her against the best horses in the country again and again - and if she lost, they could say "It's no big deal. She'll get them next time."

That is how you achieve greatness.  And all the people and businesses out there who are afraid to take on the greater challenges should take note.  Because it's not about never failing - it's about getting right back out there and proving yourself all over again.

Climate change legislation should be welcomed by innovators.

The last couple weeks have been all about climate change.  There were the hacked emails from scientists and the controversy that ensued. Then there is the climate conference in Copenhagen, which gives me hope that the US would finally stop waffling and do something.

And the there were the big snowstorms and freezing temperatures in the American Midwest that made us Minnesotans wish that warmer temperatures were the only consequence of global warming.  ('Cause seriously, when the weather is -8°F/-13°C, going outside is pretty darn awful!)

So since climate change is what we're all talking about, I feel that it's time I chime in with what I believe with all my heart:

I have absolutely no interest in getting into the argument about whether climate change is occurring or not.  Why? Because it goes nowhere.  In America, people stick to their beliefs like they're two opposing armies on a battlefield who have build their fortifications and won't stop until the other side is completely vanquished.  All arguing does is cause the other side to reinforce their beliefs.

I do have a very strong opinion on this issue though.  I think climate change legislation is a great idea.  But probably not for the reasons you expect.

First of all, I think that it is awful that companies are blithely spewing noxious chemicals into the air and into the earth.  And they are - you won't find anyone who doesn't believe that.

More importantly though. I think climate change legislation is an absolute must if we Americans want to continue being known for our innovative spirit! 

Whether or not you agree that climate change is occurring, it's a fact that a large majority of the world does - and is enacting legislation to combat it. This is something we cannot ignore as innovators!

If we ignore climate change in the US, we risk becoming obsolete as exporters as the rest of the world restricts technology that emits large amounts of CO2.  And we risk becoming obsolete within our own country as well, as foreign companies make breakthroughs.

The fact is, companies don't make drastic innovation breakthroughs without a good reason. If they can continue spewing chemical into the air without punishment, they will. Why do you think that our cars get barely more miles per gallon (MPG) now than they did in the 1970s?

Detroit has stubbornly refused (not "failed".. "refused") to innovate significantly in the past 20-30 years.

From Detroit's side, SUV's and trucks are a cash cow. They cost nominally more to make than cars, and bring in oodles of money. So, as long as Detroit could convince Americans that they need that giant truck, their business model was golden and they had no incentive to look ahead. And then they over-committed themselves to inflexible factories and when the market shifted, they went down in flames. (As they should have.)

As for the argument about letting the markets choose, that's a horribly bad idea if we want America to be an innovative leader in the future.

There's an interesting correspondence between cost of new green technology and energy prices. When gas is expensive, that pricey Prius looks pretty good (and thus the price drops for future high mph vehicles as supply rises and the supply chain is optimized for higher volume). And in that case, the free market is a beautiful thing.

But when gas is artificially cheap, people are very susceptible to the intense marketing campaigns that Detroit runs to convince Americans that a big truck is one of their fundamental rights. I'd like to think the masses were more forward-thinking and less susceptible to emotional manipulation than that, but they usually aren't.

(For proof, I offer up the slimy DeBeers diamond engagement ring campaign that began in 1938 and convinced Americans that only a diamond can prove someone loves you. Masterful marketing campaign... but very manipulative. And trust me, if a guy ever tries to tell his future fiance about how she's been manipulated to want a diamond... he'll be in the doghouse for months. The marketing was THAT good.)

So whenever companies can convince consumers that they should remain stuck in the past and resist innovation - they usually do. Many will throw everything they have into resisting the need to innovate.  (Yes music industry, I'm talking about you.)

For many companies, their most important goal is to make their quarterly books look as good as possible for the shareholders.  As a result, they have no incentive to look ahead and prepare for the future. Their incentive is to sell what's profitable now.  Chances are, the CEO who is raking in oodles of money won't even be around when the market turns. So, too many companies operate in the here and now.

But when companies finally know they need to change (or risk huge fines or market losses), they do so incredibly well.  American companies especially. We have such innovative capacity here in the US that we could lead the world in environmental innovation. 

Instead though, we bicker constantly about whether climate change is actually occurring.  We stall, and waffle, and do everything we can to avoid making a short-term painful decision that will pay off for us in the long run.

Right now, in the climate change debate, we're just being dragged along by the rest of the world like a reluctant child who doesn't want to do its homework. 

That's not the America I believe in. I see America as a country that seizes opportunities to be a world leader. This climate bickering is not conducive to that - and it's not an issue that is going to go away. So we need to get off our butts and start moving forward now.

Innovators don't sit back and resist change.  They seize it and use all their brilliance to find out how to take advantage of every situation.  We need to do that.

It's time for us to stop being the obstructionists who are missing opportunities to really benefit from this situation.  It's time for America to sign the climate change agreement in Copenhagen, stop bitching about it at home, and get our butts into our garages and labs to make some magic.

And I can't wait for the American government to step up, take a stance and pass legislation that actually makes us do it. 

Feature-packing is not the way to innovate.

Right now, we live in a world where people always want more.  More functions, more capabilities, more buttons, more speed, etc, etc.  And some of the technology coming out is truly amazing.   

There are cell phones that probably have more processing power than the computers used to send Apollo 11 to the moon, remote controls that control half the electronics in a house, refrigerators that monitor their contents and communicate with their owners by emails.

Those are all really cool innovations, and they're great.  More is a good thing because it has opened up more possibilities than people could have dreamed of only a couple years ago.

The problem is that many people and companies seem to believe that that is the only way to innovate.

But I'd like to challenge that idea that more is always better.

Quite honestly, more features can be a big pain in the @$$.  Try operating that television remote intuitively, or take a look at the textbook-sized manual that comes with a modern cell phone.

Too many people think that products have to be packed to the brim with features to be innovative.  

After all, people don't just want a phone, they want to carry a mini computer that can record quality video, store thousands of hours of music, surf the web, and send a spaceship to the moon.  Right? 

But the fact is that products that do everything can't do everything well. There are always weird overlaps, and difficult operating procedures to learn, and trade-offs.

That's why you'll never hear a one-man-band that's as good as a real band.

Then why do many companies still insist on cramming features into an object?

Because feature-packing is the lazy way to innovate. 

It's easy to take everyone else's ideas and shove them all together in a single device.  Of course there are logistical issues to deal with... but that's always a lot simpler than actually thinking of something new! 

So, next time you see a product advertised that can do everything, don't let yourself be taken in and fooled that real innovation went into its creation. 

It's not something new.  It's just more old things in a new, smaller package.

In a world of change, should schools stay the same?

Not long ago, I wrote a post about all the things that have turned from impossible to possible.  It's had some great discussion, especially about a comment from reader Rob Jacobs of Education Innovation.

Rob very effectively highlighted one thing that doesn't change...

100 years ago, students were sitting in classrooms with a teacher and blackboard at the front.

50 years ago, students were sitting in classroom with a teacher and a blackboard at the front.

5 years ago, student were sitting in classrooms with a teacher and a whiteboard at the front.

Breathtaking speed of change! Education seems to be a little behind the curve.

It's definitely true that schools don't change much.  But is that good, or bad?

Reader Al took the opposite viewpoint and argued that it's a good things that schools are slow to change:

Some times classical methods are the best. I'm sure there may be other alternatives, but being a computer science major, the majority of my classes are taught via power point presentations and it's a very impersonal method to learn and for high school students and lower grades I truly don't believe it would work out.

So, what do you think?  Should our schools be changing to meet the times?  Is Powerpoint an effective enough change, or is it just an electronic blackboard?

How would you change schools?

The floor is open!  Please share your thoughts!

Idea generation done right.

I spent two days last week with one of the coolest creativity groups I've ever met, at one of the best creativity events I've been to in a long time.

That's quite a statement, but it's true!

So, here's the dish:

I was in Orlando to participate in an idea-generation workshop with Brainstore, a Swiss Idea Factory. 

This company has been on my radar for a while - I found out about them while researching highly creative European companies over a year ago - and when I discovered they were coming to the US to do an IdeaWorkshop, I (most likely) made a horrid fool of myself gushing about why I desperately wanted to be a participant.

But the embarrassment was completely worth it!  The IdeaWorkshop was amazingly fun and very productive - in less than 5 hours, we came up with hundreds of ideas.

Some of the things that worked really well:

• They kept us moving.  During the IdeaWorkshop, we did a ton of different activities ranging from hands-on building to word associations to building off of other peoples' ideas.  It was easy to keep thinking of new ideas because so many different parts of our brains were being stimulated.

• They made it snappy.  The clock was ticking on all the exercises we did, and there wasn't time to censor "bad" ideas.  We had to keep it moving, and in the interest of speed, everything was written down.

• They made it accessible to everyone. There were so many different activities that even if someone wasn't good at one, they had plenty of chances to demonstrate their abilities in another.  (One common problem with focusing too much on a single way of coming up with ideas is that some people might be left out or underutilized.  Brainstore successfully avoided that.)

• They mixed us up.   There were students, external experts and employees from the client's company there - and they didn't let us cling to our comfort zones.  We had to go out, mingle, and come up with ideas in a totally different group than we would normally be around.  Worked really well because it exposed people to fresh perspectives.

• They kept it fun. There was fun scenery, there were fun activities, there were fun questions we had to answer.  This was not a dead-serious "we need ideas now" type of event.  The energy and the fun level in the room was very high - and I think that was a huge factor in how many ideas were generated.

All in all, it was a fabulous, fabulous time.  The amount of creative energy in the room was almost tangible.  From what I saw, the participants came away filled with energy, and completely impressed by the many ideas they had come up with.

And the best part is, Brainstore ended up with a ton of ideas to present to their clients.

Hope I get to be a part of their sessions again!  It was an amazing creative experience!

If anyone is interested in learning more about them, go to www.brainstore.com (it's in English and German), or read The Idea Machine, a book written by co-founder Nadja Schnetzler about their creativity process.

 

Best of 2007

I hope 2008 is turning out great for everyone.  I just want to thank you all for helping me make a fantastic start to my blog in 2007.

Here are my favorite posts from the last 9 months.

How to take an idea to the next level
This is one of my favorite posts, and everyone else seems to love it too. It's been on Stumbleupon several times, and just keeps hanging in there.  I think it's because everyone can emphasize with having an idea completely put-down by some heartless commentator and loves it that the idea came back and showed it's potential.

Squeeze Out More Ideas
A creativity exercise that will torture you, but will also generate more ideas than you ever thought you could have.  You'll love me for sharing it... after you stop hating me.

The path to failed innovations
Three ideas that may have seemed brilliant to their inventors... that weren't actually that great when they became reality.

Does anyone think they're more creative than you are?
A not-very-nice person commented on Copyblogger that it's impossible for "dullards" to become creative.  My rebuttal... and an astonishing revelation that I too was once a creative dullard.  Oh was I ever!

When you hear hoofbeats...
They say, that when you hear hoofbeats, you shouldn't look for zebras.  But what would you be missing out on if you always assume the obvious?

How would you get out of this situation?
The Japanese are very tolerant of new ideas.  So come see a hilarious one that would probably make the best Halloween costume ever!

Are your laptop's new features good for you?
Two computer features match up... which one actually improves the customer experience?

Have you forgotten to look for alternatives? Some people are blind to new ideas.  Read this article to find out how a new idea is giving more options to people who really are blind.

Thinking backwards can actually be quite brilliant.
Three examples of why thinking backwards can pay off and why we shouldn't assume that an idea is horrid until we see more about it.

Innovation that's far more impressive than the best out of Silicon Valley
About how a young man in an impoverished nation used his own creativity to create a windmill to power the home of his family.

What Innovation Lessons did you learn in 2007?

Chuck Frey of the very good Innovation Tools newsletter and blog is creating a report about the innovation Lessons people learned in 2007.

It's not ready yet, but I'm excited to see what realizations people had about innovation.

For me personally, 2007 has been a great year.  I started this blog in May, and have had a wonderful time meeting new people, learning more about innovation, and challenging myself to keep looking for ideas, new connections to talk about, and fabulously-creative business ideas.

I learned that the more I challenge myself to come up with blog posts, the easier it gets.  Being creative is like that: practice makes it a lot easier.

But that wasn't the biggest lesson I learned about creativity and innovation this year.

The most important thing I really learned came from a short comment on an idea website! 

IdeaList is a fun site where people upload their ideas, and others can evaluate them.  There, I ran across an idea of a toy for children.  It was fun, and was an interesting combination of two things kids like (ice cream and soccer). 

Then I saw that the first commentator had slammed that idea down with two cruel words: "Try again."

It was vicious--especially since the idea wasn't bad!  It needed some development, but the concept was interesting.

At that point, I realized just how easy it is to put down someone else's ideas.

If we don't immediately like something, we pick at the flaws and do everything we can to make the other person realize that they're on the wrong track. 

Then the idea is vanquished, and its creator knows not to make that mistake again.

Since then I've worked really hard to find the good parts of every idea I come across, especially if I don't like the idea right away.

Doing that has changed my outlook on innovation because the impact of that decision was immediately noticeable!

Ever since I've started looking at every idea as a starting point (with potential), I've come up with better ideas myself, and helped a lot more people feel confident about being creative.

People are usually pretty hesitant to put an idea out there because they're used to being shot down or criticized.  They're just thrilled though when they hear a couple good things about their idea--because it tells them that they're doing something right.

Obviously, not all ideas will change the world, and some of them could definitely use "a little work".  But telling someone their idea stinks is no way to get them to improve it.  Then they're just discouraged.

Praising the parts of an idea with potential though... actually gets people excited about making it better.

This was just an amazing realization for me.  It's such a simple way to get people excited about being creative and working to come up with better ideas.

And it works!  Who would have believed that!

So, that's the most important innovation lesson I learned in 2007: Always look first for the good parts of an idea, no matter what!

What have you learned about creativity this year?

 

"Can you make me be more creative?"

Yesterday, I was talking with a couple friends when one asked two of my favorite questions.  "What happens when someone can't think of any ideas? You can't force them to be more creative, right?"

I rubbed my hands together, thrilled at the challenge that was coming.  "Actually, I can."

Eyebrow raised now, my friend asked.  "Oh really? How?"

I gave them an example:

Ok, you're trying to think of ways to improve a car.  Are you thinking about making it faster, more powerful, more luxurious, bigger, safer, or with better fuel efficiency?

As expected, they were guilty as charged.

Then, I told them I was going to give them a completely Random Word that they were going to have to connect with their goal of improving a car. 

Their word was "Washing Machine."

One of them started out hesitantly "Well, you could put a washing machine in the car."

Then the other jumped in, "Or, what about a dryer?  Wouldn't that be more useful if clothes got wet?"

"Or what about making the inside of the car able to dry itself?  That would really be a great feature if you live in a wet climate and left the window open."

Three ideas in about 10 seconds.

And the interesting thing is that each of those ideas has potential if developed further:

• A washing machine in the car itself might not be feasible, but could they be combined in some other way? What if someone was able to turn on the washing machine at home from their car so that the clothes would be ready for the dryer when they got home?

• A dryer in the car could be pretty useful.  What about those days when you're in a rush and have to run out the door before your clothes are completely dry? 
  
  Or, what if you find out that the shirt you desperately wanted to wear was full of wrinkles?  Or what if you regularly cart around a bunch of swimmers?

• And check out how the last idea turns into a very valuable concept.  Not only does the idea of an car-interior dryer sound appealing to anyone who has ever had a convertible or got snow in the car, it also brings up the thought: ways of removing water from inside the car. 
  
  As another way of doing this, what about adding a dehumidifier function to the car's air system?  It's extremely dangerous to drive when the whole front is fogged up, and sometimes just breathing can be enough to cloud up the windshield.  Wouldn't it be nice to have an easier way to get rid of that?

So, that's the result of forcing two people to think creatively for about 10 seconds.  Not bad, huh?

Imagine what would come up if a bunch of people did creativity exercises like that for a decent amount of time...

The results can be pretty impressive. 

European idea factory Brainstore can get hundreds of ideas from their program participants in a hour. 

SolutionPeople in the US was able to inspire 500 Fast Company conference participants to come up with 5,000 ideas--in 10 minutes.

All from methods that force creativity.  Sounds like something worthwhile to learn, doesn't it?

Being too busy to think is actually an excuse.

What can I say? It's been a while.  I've been busy. I've been traveling.  I'm was helping my mom with a conference.  I'm just starting German classes again.  I need to find a real job.  I can't think of anything to write.  It's the holidays!  I'm graduating soon. (Eeek!)

Yeah, yeah.  Excuses, excuses.

To be honest, I just didn't have it in me to write anything remarkable, or talk intelligently about ideas, or (especially) come up with ideas on my own.

Ever felt like that?

This is because creativity is a mental function that reacts negatively to stress.  The more stress someone has in their life, the less likely they are to be creative.

A recent study by researchers at Ohio State University called The Effects of Auditory Stressors on Cognitive Flexibility (PDF) found that when participants were in a stressful environment, they became worse at doing mental tasks that required lateral thinking.

Although this test used a constant, annoying background noise to irritate participants, there are a lot of other factors that reduce creativity too.

For example: 3M has long been known as an innovative company, but in recent years they've lost their edge. 

Why?  Because a couple years ago, 3M started using Six Sigma company-wide and their tolerance for "failed inventions" plummeted. 

Engineers started having to worry about every possible reason their invention could fail, and what would happen if they presented an idea that wasn't up to Six Sigma standards.

Oh, and 3M had also started trimming the fat--which meant that some engineers (who had spent years being loyal to the company and expecting the same in return) suddenly found themselves unemployed.

Small wonder that no one wanted to stick their neck out.  The inventors had a lot to lose by being creative!

I'd also venture that stress from extreme busyness reduces creativity as well. 

The more people have on their plate, the less they want to spend time exploring possibilities.  It becomes more about getting things done than "seeing what possibilities are out there."

It's sad, but when there's stress, creativity is one of the first things to go down the tubes. 

People have so many other things to worry about that they don't feel like they can spare the time to be innovative, and then (if they even bother to try) their brains are already so engaged with other things that no new ideas can find their way out.

And then, they start worrying that they can't be creative, which makes the whole situation even worse.

Interestingly, one of the best ways to get out of the creativity death spiral is to just charge straight ahead.

That's what I did here.  I was so completely stuck I just wrote down everything I could about my brain being mired in the muck of a thinking block.  Eventually the clogs started grinding again and it stopped being so painful to put the words together.

I was even connecting concepts again!

But the most important thing is that the rust is gone and the pressure is off.  It's no longer "oh no, I really should be thinking about this--but I have so many other things to do that I really can't."

The ball has started rolling again, and it's all downhill from here.

(Hmmm... not sure that last sentence sounded right.  But hopefully you get my point.)  ;-)

Stay tuned.  We're now back to our regularly-scheduled programming.