“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing
our wings on the way down.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
Week 4 was an exciting week for sure.
We ran the race of trying to incorporate the balance of creativity and critical
thinking, as well as several fallacies associated with the innovation process
and the contemplation of the end of innovation if we do not take action now
during the Ted Talk with Robert Gordon.
Can Innovation save us? Innovation
could come to the rescue; as Gordon discusses, the invention of electricity
catapulted many offshoots of innovation and additional invention. For example,
we went from using kerosene lanterns to electricity (Gordon,
2013) . Electricity allowed for the invention of power tools and
conveniences such as elevators and washing machines, stoves and refrigerators (Gordon,
2013) .
We went from horses and buggies to the
automobile, and eradicating waterborne diseases by developing running water and
hygiene standards for better healthier consumption. We have already learned
this semester that innovation and creativity do not solely rely upon the next
“aha!” moment of monumental proportion. As Gordon mentions in his TED talk, he
believes that there are four “headwinds” affecting growth include demographics,
education, debt and inequality (Gordon,
2013) which are “…all
powerful enough to cut growth in half…” and need innovation to make up the gap
in the decline (Gordon,
2013) .
As his discussion progresses, he
touches on how innovation is powerful; if it becomes less powerful and less
involved in the process of growth, then growth will be even less than half (Gordon,
2013) . Without the captivation of the innovation process, “Americans
can no longer expect to double the living standard of their parents” (Gordon,
2013) . This means no matter how hard we work, will never be able to
increase our worth or our actual income.
For example, demographics changed when
women entered the workforce, but as we continue to age, so do the baby-boomers
and therefore what are we replacing our workforce with? What is being lost as
they retire? Additionally, the cost of higher education and inflation continues
to stifle all demographics from being able to pursue their version of the
American dream (Gordon,
2013) . The actual college completion rate compared to the actual debt
students carry to show for it is abominable. How can a college student
realistically pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt by only
making $35,000 - $55,000 right out of school due to lack of practical
experience? This also ties into the mal distribution of wealth that primarily
lies with the 1%’ers. Moreover, innovation and creativity come from more than
just the “technological revolution” (Gordon,
2013) that many from my
Gen-X roots have come to embrace, but also from a multitude of failures.
As we posted and discussed this week,
innovation takes a great deal of work and resources. Being able to identify working hard
towards innovation requires us to be able to measure the “…intensity,
effectiveness and richness of collaboration…” (McKeown, 2014, p. 89) requires measuring, calculating,
monitoring, and reviewing during the process.
As we found out, calculating
talks about the inputs, resources and "direct investment” that is required
to be invested in your innovative idea
Additionally, in our supplemental readings this week, we were
exposed to the common fallacies and myths regarding product development and
innovation cycle process from a manufacturing perspective. One crucial
point that stuck out for me was that we have to be willing to accept constant
change during the innovation process due to the “unpredictable” aspects
regarding when tasks will be completed, what resources it will require and how
long the learning curve will take to implement with our teams (Thomke &
Donald, 2012, p. 86). This really hit home for me as I was reading because
healthcare is very unpredictable, unlike most manufacturing businesses. There
is a high variability from department to department, specialty skill set to
skill set, as well as clinical requirements that do not universally apply to
the vast majority of our departments here; we would not really be able to have
broad stroke implementation of changes or procedures without a great deal of
personification of needs – it would have to be innovation that was organic and
flexible without a doubt.
As I uncovered in my research this week, Innovation comes from
within each of us; it can come from failure or our need to make something
easier or help a teammate out. Innovation comes from perseverance, “…focus,
discipline and patience…” (Tobak, 2014) and
a burning desire to identify challenges and remain committed to a solution
focused culture. Leaders must understand that importance of critical thinking
skills and their impact upon the entire process of innovation (Paul
& Elder, 2008) . Without purposeful thought, the cultivation of
creativity would not only lack environmental support, but moreover, “…careful
examination…” shows us that critical thinking skills and “…creative thought are
intimately related” (Paul & Elder,
2008) .
Developing
creative thinking skills allows for employees to learn how to make better
decisions, gives them the ability to approach challenges with greater
day-to-day process understanding, as well as fosters a culture within our
organization that “…values, nurtures, and rewards creative solutions” (Harvard
Continuing Education, 2014-15) .
One area, originally that I had never thought of in great detail, is the idea
that “…too much management strangles innovation…” (Gobble,
2012) and as another classmate
pointed out, "When
it all comes down to it, however, innovation may be a simply as thinking
differently and adjusting our behaviors to accommodate the difference" (Zeitz,
2015) .
As Gordon jokes, we get one, and only one, of two options. If we
had a choice to keep everything that had been invented in the world up to about
ten years ago, like running water, heat, electricity, and some modern
conveniences like Google and Wikipedia (Gordon,
2013) or we can select option two which would include things like
Facebook but then go back to using an “outhouse” which would we benefit more
from? His underlying message is being able to uncover the value these give us
in proportion to the future we wish to create. Our challenge as leaders and
agents of change is being able to at least “match” what has already been
achieved by transforming and redirecting our perceptions for what brings value
to us in the future. I am willing to give up my iPhone to keep my running water
and car! Just because something is new and trendy, has already proven that it
doesn’t mean it is the best long-term solution for everyone.
Until we blog again!
Gobble,
M. M. (2012). Motivating Innovation. Research
Technology Management, 67.
Gordon,
R. (2013, February). Robert
Gordon: The death of innovation, the end of growth. Retrieved from TED.com:
http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_gordon_the_death_of_innovation_the_end_of_growth?nolanguage=en%29#t-59680
Harvard
Continuing Education. (2014-15). Creative
Thinking: Innovative Solutions to Complex Challenges. Retrieved from
Harvard.edu:
http://www.dce.harvard.edu/professional/programs/creative-thinking-innovative-solutions-complex-challenges?gclid=Cj0KEQjwpM2pBRChsZCzm_CU0t4BEiQAxDVFmhCRhexEgq67ZM_Km2Hr9ob5xAXy88bsO30VnmIHckcaAlkk8P8HAQ
McKeown,
M. (2014). The Innovation
Book. Harlow: Maverick &
Strong Limited.
Paul,
R., & Elder, L. (2008, June 08). Critical
and Creative. Retrieved from Critical Thinking.org:
http://www.criticalthinking.org/files/CCThink_6.12.08.pdf
Tobak,
S. (2014, October 16). Where
Does Innovation Come From? Retrieved
from Entrepreneur.com: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238545
Zeitz,
A. (2015, April 13). A642.4.2.DQ
- The hard work of innovation. Retrieved from ERAU.edu:
https://erau.instructure.com/courses/14127/discussion_topics/48354
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