Schumpeter was right.
In the 20th century, theinnovation has become more and more intensive. The rhythms have accelerated, the production of innovation has become Industrial. Less and less natural.
In their race for innovation, some companies do not skimp on market studies, the strategic planning, the R&D, the training, the use of consultants.
Others, more modest, cannot deploy such an arsenal, but stick to one approach. Mercantile of innovation : sow seeds, grow them cheaply, in the hope of benefiting from them in a reasonable time.
Are we doomed to make this regime work at full speed?
I wanted to do an overview of the phenomena ofnatural innovation, which our organizations can obviously draw inspiration from today and tomorrow.
How were the inventions that made history come about? Thanks to what mechanisms were the major discoveries made? The wheel, the fire and the hot water that goes with it?
La Serendipity is probably the service of R&D the most prolific and the cheapest in the world.
Tarte Tatin, the nonsense of Cambrai, the American continent or even penicillin were all invented or discovered by serendipity: while we were looking for something else.
SERENDIPITY = HAPPY CHANCE + WISDOM
Horace Walpole
When an invention is born spontaneously in front of our eyes, we still need to have the Sagacity, the acumen to find out.
Pasteur wrote:
“Chance only favors prepared minds.”
Serendipity is therefore one of those phenomena of natural invention that can be inspired by in methods of creativity. For example, the spontaneity of the participants and the associations of ideas are intended to stimulate it.
Poverty, illness, disability, lack of time are all invitations to adapt in order to continue living.
Thus, in their natural state, voltages And the stresses often inspire innovation.
India is the champion of Jugaad, an approach tofrugal innovation Who promises to Do more with less.
Great sloths become very ingenious when it comes to changing a system for “only solve the same problem once”
Dickerson
To enrich the subject with a tasty and Made in France example: the Morbier du Jura, which consists in making a cheese by separating the morning milking and the evening milking by a layer of ash, would never have been born if the peasants had been richer. If they had had enough cows to make their cheese in one go, the story would have changed.
Would all suffering carry within them the seed of a better world?
In any case, it is interesting to confront questions of creativity that generatediscomfort.
Lately, I had fun with a group of three very inventive students:
“How do you make couscous for 100 people in under 10 minutes? ”
There is of course the “small” passion, passion in a modern and everyday sense: a positive emotion, a marked taste.
It sometimes makes it possible to innovate more quickly, further, because it gives senses. But be careful: it can just as easily generate fixation effects and produce the opposite effect.
Even more interesting is passion in the original sense of the word: a emotional state that one experiences and that occupies the mind excessively.
Without anger, there are no new combat sports.
Without envy, there would be no scratch marks on my clothes.
Without a bit of laziness, no entertainment.
Without greed, no money, no bank.
“Attacking passions at the root is attacking life at the root”
Nietzsche
In creativity, the passions And the archetypes are used in techniques of Storytelling close to the theater.
Re-learning creativity in the company, at all levels and in all types of functions, is a robust and fun way to reconnect with a way ofmore natural innovation.
When is an innovation label Slow and bio ?
Jean.
Voluntary analogy with agriculture:
Open innovation is above ground.
The fabless deal in fertilizer by speculating on patents.
GAFAM is Monsanto.
Me, cartoonish?
A selection of articles to extend the reflection, discover other points of view and make your ideas grow.
