We need to unlearn a lot to be able to step into the realm of innovation

The way we are taught science, math and perhaps even other soft subjects like history at school actually impedes innovation. Through out school and engineering I recall the following method of teaching, provide a theory or a lesson and then ask questions for which the answers have to fit the theory. One learns about Newton's laws and then goes about solving100s of problems based on these laws. Often learning is about application of a theory or a lesson rather than discovery. Even in debates and discussion, we want to be more scientific, rejecting anything, which does not confirm to accepted norms. The irony is that most scientific discoveries starting from Gallileo were made fighting the then existing notion of science. The point is that while innovation and invention happens when we do not take things for granted, we are bred in environments, which demand exact answers, predictable outcomes and conformation to a lesson.

In business these learnt habits can be dangerous. Very little is predictable in business. Business I believe is about getting your odds right. Success comes more out of making sure that a lot of things are done to favour odds on your side than following a simple laid out formula. If you doubt this just look around and ask yourself how many well laid out plans have actually succeeded, in business or any activity where people are involved.

Success in business requires, innovation and improvisation at all levels. The other day I heard an anecdote that an insurance agent narrated. The customer was dead against insurance (pun unintended) and in the conversation it popped up that the customer's wife's birthday was the next day. The agent just asked would insurance not be a good gift for the birthday? The customer bought it. The moment, the impulse and improvisation all helped in making this happen. Can this be predicted in advance? Absolutely not, can you write a theory on this? Sure. But can this theory by made to work every time as in science? Absolutely not.

Innovation is all about what can be, not what is. In decision making, the moment we start saying this is how things are done, or this is what the book says and that is why we need to do it in a particular way, or you cannot do this, because we have never done something like this before, we get into the trap of predictability and certainty. Progress only happens if you step into the world of possibility.

When Jamshedji Tata said that we can set up a steel plant in the jungles of Chottanagpur, in a British ruled India he was stepping into the world of possibility. When Mahatma Gandhi said that it is possible to get freedom without guns it is by having the conviction that something untried is possible.

The other impediment to innovation is the complete mistrust of intuition and feelings in our education system and as a consequence in our decision-making processes. The importance of intuition in decision-making is well chronicled, and can often be seen as the reason for success among even experts such as surgeons. Edward de Bono by far one of the best experts on thinking has in fact given equal importance to intuition and feelings as other modes of thinking. In his book "Six thinking hats" the Red hat is for discussing feelings and intuition freely, without the need to rationalize or back these thoughts with evidence, or trying to use contrived logic to justify actions which were a result of intuition.

The mind often is conditioned to react quickly and come to conclusions which are familiar and predictable. One needs discipline to look at various other scenarios and options which might not be obvious at first sight but would look ridiculously simple in hindsight.

The point is that progress and powerful insights happen by stepping into the unknown and throughout our lives growing up, we spend very little time doing this. We solve problems in a sphere that is known. The business world is about decision-making in the unknown, and creativity is about possibility. So the next time you encounter something contrary to the norm, or unexpected, it is time to pause and forcefully step into the realm of possibility.

The author is Chief Catalyst of Businessgyan. He is an alumni of IIT-M, IIM-B. His areas of interest include business strategy and innovation. E mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Issue BG68 Nov06

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