Innovation and convergence
The saying is: where your attention goes,
energy flows and where energy flows, things grow. As an example, my mother did
buy recently a Renault Clio and what I am continuously seeing in the traffic
now are Renault Clio’s. There were there before, but I just didn’t pay any
attention.
Now, my attention is attracted to
‘convergence’ and thus I am continuously see lots of articles about it. What
does convergence actually mean? Here is a definition:
convergence |kənˈvərjəns|
the process or state of converging: the convergence of
lines in the distance.
• Biology the tendency of unrelated animals and plants
to evolve superficially similar characteristics under similar environmental
conditions.
• (also convergence zone )a location where airflows or
ocean currents meet, characteristically marked by upwelling (of air) or
downwelling (of water).
The way I look at it is that it becomes
clear to many more people that events (global warming; financial crisis; lack
of trust in the government; unethical behavior in companies; mental illness;
etc.) are no longer seen as separate, as distinct from each other. These events
are connected and they influence each other, they converge.
Previously when there was such an event (or
a huge problem), they would assign a specialist or a group of specialists to
fix it. This perspective did work rather well in the industrial age, where the
assembly line approach was extended to other area’s as well, like problem
solving. Split the problem into some small parts, fix these small parts and the
whole problem will be fixed. The people who are ‘in power’ are still applying
this old age approach to the current information/human age. And then they are
surprised that the problems can not be fixed in that style of dissecting.
One way to tackle these problems is:
- To see and accept that they are converging.
- To assign ‘generalists’ to the problem solving teams.
- To understand that we will not return to the way things were before.
- To be willing to look in the mirror and change your self!
Now, look at innovation, the continuous
drive to improve, to renew and even disrupt yourself and your organization. In
itself this proves to be quite challenging for organizations. They know that
they have to do it, but they still see it as a side-activity, rather than at
the heart of the operation. Added to this challenge is that fact that you can
not innovate in isolation (any more), because everything is connected and
converging. Therefor the same problem solving rules, as mentioned above, are
applicable to innovation.
Are you willing and able to take a complete
different holistic perspective and approach to problem solving as well as
innovation?
Enthusiasm drives Excellence!
