ReThinking, Innovation, ReInvention Derek Cheshire

We really do need to make sure that the questions we ask before deciding on a course of action scope out our probably properly. Out of all the people in the world, the people we tend to trust the most are probably doctors. We believe them to be experts, because if we didn’t we would probably be terrified every time we became ill. Given this faith in doctors, how often do you suppose they actually get it right? Or more terrifyingly, how often do they get it wrong? It is not very likely that your doctor will tell you are okay when you are critically ill but what about the cases where they diagnose a common cold but your elevated temperature is related to something much more serious? Are they solving the right problem? Studies in the US indicate a 40% misdiagnosis rate with a reasonable percentage (around 10%) resulting in avoidable death. These statistics are easily verified following autopsy. In medicine, as with many other disciplines we need to diagnose the right condition in order to treat it. In the world of creative problem solving we must do two things. Firstly correctly identify that the problem really is causing the symptoms (business issues) that have been observed and secondly when we apply a solution, it must be tailored to the actual problem. So what is the issue here, how does this come about? Overconfidence and over-familiarity are two good reasons. If experts become complacent or see the same problems day in, and day out, they might be tempted to assume that the problem is the same.

This is the first episode of The Opinioneers, an innovation podcast where we mull over all aspects of innovation (and some other things too). In this episode, we begin with culture and then progress to measurement and more.

Using negativity, especially within the workplace, is something you should try to do.

We all have a few people around us, in our businesses or our circles of friends who are a little bit negative, don't we? I like to call them the Mood Hoovers. Some of them are so bad that they do actually suck the goodness out of you. But they can actually help you without realising it.

Reverse or negative brainstorming is absolutely ideal for this. It can be slotted into short periods of time, such as coffee breaks, train journeys, or whilst you're waiting for somebody.

And if you're bored, you can always let your mind wander a little and venture off into springboards to. Anyway, if you want to use this technique, then simply select an issue or a topic about which you need to generate some ideas. The fact that some of you will be more familiar with the topic than others in the in a group, doesn't really matter at all for this exercise.

Everybody will get benefit from trying out this technique and swapping notes afterwards. The topic you select should be positive and present a possibility.

Who are the successful innovators? In this episode, I talk to the entertaining Samuel West, founder of the Museum of Failure. Apart from having tales of who has failed spectacularly, Samuel West answers the question about who is actually good at innovating.

Some believe that you cannot plan creative activities. Simon Raybould and I take the wonderful topics of chaos and planning and weave them into a conversation. Obviously there's a bit more to it than that, but to get the whole story you will need to listen in.

The very nature of Innovation means that things will look different. Here I discuss the future of work with Scott McArthur. Listen to discover how our businesses might be organised, what skills we might need and which technologies will become dominant. There's more but you need to listen in!