Innovation is rarely a single linear path. The first idea, carried through to execution, is still imperfect. You repeat yourself, going through the process of right and left brain thinking again and again.
Every time you return to one of these steps, you do so with more insight and a greater sense of creative intuition. – David Murray
I found this idea strangely comforting, as it means I don’t have to be right. I don’t even have to have a better solution this time around, because it is information gained, either way.
Even better, it means that it is okay if something feels like a cheap imitation or insufficient, because innovation is actually an evolutionary process, as Murray calls it. Each adjustment and cycle could be extremely significant or a minor variation.
Some interesting questions that he proposes for the stage when you think you may be done are:
- Can this idea be used to solve a different problem?
- What components can I replace in this structure to make it more effective
- What components can I add or subtract or extract from or rearrange within my idea that will solve these additional problems?
Then you take the insight you gain from these mental gymnastics and go back to the beginning so you can pass through the steps of defining, connecting, and incubating and evaluating again.
He doesn’t really provide a way to figure out when you’re done, or, more accurately, ready to commercialize. He doesn’t offer hope for being ready for the budget meeting with something that boosts sales forecasts, but for developing long-term answers, with the development process sometimes delivering short term rewards.
If you’re committed to innovation and creativity, then you’re committed to the time it takes. You’ve got to keep trying. To keep climbing. To keep thinking. – David Murray
This is the sixth and final, after a fashion, step in the process of innovation that David Kord Murray writes about in Borrowing Brilliance. The chapter itself contains a good collection of examples of potential mental shifts, some of which might resonate with you.
You can find my posts on the other five steps at:
- Build a Foundation for Innovation with Problem Definitions
- Use Existing Ideas to Construct New Ideas
- Innovate Through Metaphorical Connections
- Give Your Subconscious a Turn
- Compare the Solution to the Problem
- Iterate, Recycle, and Evolve Your Way to Innovation
