Imagine receiving immediate, context sensitive, USEFUL information, delivered to you anytime, anywhere. At the grocery or department store, when meeting someone new, when traveling. Not information you have to search for, through a browser; but information that is relevant to your situation, and simply “appears” when you need it.

Meet “Sixth Sense.”

According to the TED.org website, “This demo — from Pattie Maes’ lab at MIT, spearheaded by Pranav Mistry — was the buzz of TED. It’s a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment. Imagine “Minority Report” and then some.”

You owe it to yourself to check this out. Because this will be your life in the not-too-distant future. Thanks to Mark Jacobson for clueing us into this.

Patti Maes Demos the Sixth Sense

Innovation has become the benchmark of success, particularly in the current business environment. Companies in every industry are stepping up their efforts to become more innovative in the way they work, communicate and produce the goods and services they sell. But with such an objective, the obvious challenge becomes, how to identify the individuals within an organization who possess the greatest potential to innovate.

While everyone has the innate ability to engage in creative thinking, there are seven common traits that innovative leaders like da Vinci, Edison, Henry Ford and Steve Jobs share; seven traits that propel them to think outside the confines of conventional wisdom and imagine breakthrough concepts that change the way you and I live and experience the world.

The seven traits of highly innovate thinkers are:

1. Curiosity
Curiosity is the first step toward discovery. It is the “beginner’s mind,” a deep, child-like sense of wonder about the world, the relationship between different things and how things work.

2. Imagination
Before you can develop a new idea, you must first be able to conceive it, to envision the very possibility that it could exist. Innovation is fueled by leaps of the imagination, making novel new connections between seemingly disparate ideas, concepts or objects.

3. Intuition
Making decisions based on facts and figures is fine in many instances. But true innovation is more often born from that internal “knowing,” the guiding force, sixth sense or gut feeling to follow one’s instincts, no matter how unconventional or illogical the direction.

4. Inventiveness
The ability to change the status quo requires an inquisitive passion for “tinkering.” Innovators possess the desire to arrange and re-arrange ideas or things in new and different combinations.

5. Playfulness
It is when you get “lost in your work” that amazing things begin to happen. Time, self-consciousness, seriousness and any sense of limitation falls away, and challenges are handled with ease. The attitude of playfulness is, “Everything is possible.”

6. Flexibility
The capacity to suspend judgment and embrace two (or more) seemingly contradictory or unrelated viewpoints at the same time helps create a dynamic tension that ultimately stimulates creative resolutions (solutions).

7. Persistence
All the creative talent in the world is of no value if you give up before the work is done. Persistence, the passion, willpower and enthusiasm to overcome setbacks and discouragement, allows innovative thinkers to keep trying new possibilities until success is achieved.

Of course, there is no secret recipe for innovation. It requires an ongoing commitment on the part of an organization and the individuals within to relentlessly pursue new, better ways of doing business, and to never accept anything less than the best possible outcome. But these seven key traits are an excellent starting point for building your innovation foundation.

Start to recognize the individuals around you who naturally possess these traits, and encourage them to make frequent use of them. And nurture these traits in others who aren’t as naturally inclined. Acknowledge and reward creative thinking, responsible risk-taking and questioning the status quo. And in no time you will have fostered a thriving culture of innovation which can lead to only one thing: greater success.

photo by zetson

Many people believe that highly creative individuals possess some sort of rare, special, almost magical talent. Somehow, mysteriously, they are able to conjure up new and remarkable ideas, produce extraordinarily inventive work and make a profound impact on the world. Such individuals are viewed by many as favored by Mother Nature and blessed with a special gene, the one most of us missed out on.

Businesses that must deliver increasingly innovative goods and services in order to stay competitive (which is just about every company today), rely heavily on such creative thinkers, and may take the appreciation of their enigmatic ability to even greater extremes. In many such organizations the “creative types” are allowed to play by a different set of rules. The sometimes unbusinesslike way they dress, the strange hours they keep, their offbeat language and behavior, and even the unusual ways they decorate their offices are all tolerated, for fear of somehow disrupting the wizardry that takes place inside their heads whenever the all-important big idea is needed.

In fact there is nothing mystical about what creative geniuses do. Their abilities are remarkable, to be sure. But they’re not magic. In fact we all possess many of the same talents and skills in varying degrees and areas of concentration. Each of us was born with the innate ability to imagine, conceive, pretend and exercise curiosity. These are creative traits. The problem is, most of us have simply forgotten how to make use of them.

Creativity is simply the ability to generate new, unusual or unique ideas. “What if my toothbrush had an mp3 player in the handle…then I could listen to music while I brush my teeth!” Of course, most meaningful and worthwhile creativity is a bit more involved than that. But there is actually a process one follows when coming up with such creative notions, a process many of those awe-inspiring geniuses are quite capable of verbalizing. Even those who aren’t are nonetheless following similar systems. There is abundant evidence that many of history’s greatest creators – da Vinci, Mozart, Picasso – all followed careful, meticulous processes in the development and production their work.

So just what does this “creative process” consists of? Five sequential steps that will not only result in a more inventive solution to any challenge, but also make the task of generating that solution more interesting and perhaps even more fun.

1. Preparation – Nothing begins in the middle; and creativity is no exception. Naturally creative people always prepare thoroughly for the arrival of their seemingly spontaneous sparks of genius. There are two aspects to preparation; one is ongoing, and the other is immediate, for the specific task at hand.

Ongoing preparation simply means “stocking the pond” with thoughts, ideas and inspiration. Creativity depends heavily on making connections between two or more ideas, where no apparent connection existed before – like the toothbrush and the mp3 player. The more interesting and provocative reference points you have in your head, the more easily you will make new connections. Continually expose yourself to new, original, thought-provoking things of all kinds: art, music, literature, contemporary culture. Maintain an ongoing sense of curiosity about the world, and when the time comes to get creative, your mind will be filled with all sorts of valuable and relevant experiences to draw on.

Immediate preparation is specific to the challenge you face. Once you know what you have to do, engage in some research. See what’s been done before, what worked and what failed. Ask others for their opinions. Gather as much information as you can, or have time for, and undertaking your own project will be that much easier, and more inspired.

2. Focusing – Sometimes known as “Incubation” or “Reflection,” this is the step where you let everything you’ve gathered in your Preparation phase marinate. It sometimes takes the mind a while to sort through and process all the information you have in your head, to separate the wheat from the chaff, make new connections and build upon ideas you already have. Some people say this process is completely unconscious; after they do their preparation, they simple “walk away” and put the task out of their mind. Others say it’s more intentional and thoughtful. Still others, a combination of the two. Whatever works for you, but give yourself a bit of space between Preparation and Exploration (the next step in the process), and just watch what kinds of ideas that start to percolate and raise up to the surface.

3. Exploration – Often called “Illumination,” this is when the stuff you used to believe was magic takes place. The creative spark, the “a-ha” moment, when all the dots get connected and you come up with the big idea. It’s said that Einstein figured out his famous equation “E-mc2” while riding on a bus, that Newton observed a falling apple and was struck (some believe, on the head) with the notion of gravity, and that Archimedes discovered the principle of displacement when he stepped into a bath, and then shouted, “Eureka!” – which is why this phenomenon is also referred to as the “Eureka Moment.” The reason we call it Exploration, though, is that the Eureka moment is often a long, Eureka slog. It’s true, sometimes a great idea comes to you like a bolt of lightning, seemingly out of nowhere. But just as often the masterpiece emerges after extended, sometimes tedious work. It’s a well-known fact that Thomas Edison conducted literally thousands of experiments in his search for the right material to serve as the filament in the first light bulb. Hardly a Eureka moment. Whatever way your exploration phase happens, your mind will be giving you what you want in the end: a great idea.

4. Verification – On rare occasions, creative geniuses nail it on the first try. I repeat, on rare occasions. Most of the time our brilliant idea needs quite a bit of testing (against our standard of quality and acceptability), and refinement. Often we have several contenders, and through this process we are ultimately able to pick the best or most appropriate one. The point is, once you come up with a great idea, you’re not finished. There’s still work to be done.

5. Completion – The best idea in the world is worth nothing if it isn’t carried through to completion. Yes, more work. But genius doesn’t come cheap. This is simply follow-through, getting the job done, and is quite often more craft than art. And the better you are at it, the more outstanding your work will be. Think through the steps you will take in transforming your idea into a new reality. What tools do you need? What skills will be required? Whatever you don’t have yourself, find. In a recent survey CEOs said that fewer than 25% of their organizations’ best ideas are ever implemented. Which means more than three-quarters never see the light of day. There are countless half-finished brilliant ideas out there. Don’t let yours be one of them.

You may not be destined to become a da Vinci, Mozart, Picasso or Edison (but then again, you may!). But you can most certainly unleash your own innate creativity and significantly improve the quality of your work, whatever it is. You may not be composing symphonies, painting masterpieces, writing Pulitzer Prize-winning novels or bending time and space. Your “art” may be a new business proposal, a script for an upcoming presentation, a corporate brochure, your backyard garden or new window treatments for your bedroom. It doesn’t matter; by following the creative process, you will almost certainly enhance the value, originality and effectiveness of your final product.

It’s no secret that companies in every industry in every part of the world are scrambling to find new and better ways of doing business. Innovation has emerged as the 21^st century Darwinian competitive edge for survival. It’s no longer enough for companies to work smarter or more efficiently; fierce global competition, rapidly changing technology and more demanding customers are forcing organizations to re-adapt and re-invent virtually everything they do, what they offer and how they operate.

The global economic slump only makes this need for innovation more critical, as companies are forced to do more with fewer resources, attempting to survive the string of unforeseen challenges they are facing, while preparing to take advantage of new opportunities when they eventually surface.

One of the most significant revelations companies will experience on their road to organizational transformation is that realization that while innovation is indeed the driving force in business today— behind the scenes, it’s creativity that drives it.

Once this epiphany has occurred it inevitably leads organizations to ask the simple yet paradoxical question, “Can creativity be taught?”

These two terms, “creativity” and “innovation” are often used interchangeably. However it is important to make a distinction if we are to answer these critical questions. While the various definitions of these two words could fill a volume in themselves, for our purposes we will say that creativity means simply “generating new ideas and concepts, or making connections between ideas where none previously existed.” Innovation is a more involved process, meaning “when a creative idea is transformed into a new way of doing something.” Innovation represents an incremental, evolutionary, or revolutionary change in thinking, products, services or process that generally delivers increased value.

So is it possible for ordinary individuals and teams throughout their organization to be taught how to think creatively? Can they learn how to think outside the proverbial box to solve challenges in new and unexpected ways never before imagined? Is there a “secret formula” for creative genius that can be copied, disseminated throughout the organization, and successfully applied by novices with untested creative prowess?

This question about whether or not creativity can be taught often leads to polarizing discussions. According to a recent on-line survey we conducted, 47% of respondents believed creativity can indeed be taught, 29% thought it is “somewhat” possible for people to improve their creative abilities, and 24% felt you’ve either got it, or you don’t.

Strong and diverse points of view were expressed with comments such as… “Everyone has inherent creativity, but it is often destroyed or suppressed by the education process;” “Not everyone is going to be a Picasso, Shakespeare, Vidal Sassoon or Andrew Lloyd Webber;” and “No it cannot be taught. It must be unleashed.”

When we distill the four most commonly expressed viewpoints on the subject, they are:

• All People are innately creative; so it’s not about teaching creativity, but rather finding ways to help unleash, unlock or inspire it.
• All people are creative, but in different ways. You can only help them improve in the areas in which they’re naturally creative.
• Some people are naturally creative; others are not. But you can teach people how to be more creative.
• Only some people are creative, and you can’t teach it. You either have it, or you don’t.

The lack of consensus on the subject is most likely attributed to the fact that even in the modern business world, creativity (and the creative process itself) is still shrouded in the myth, mystique, misunderstanding and media hype. It also doesn’t help that creativity is considered a notoriously subjective process— a process not easily qualified or quantified by standardized metrics. For all of its allure, creativity is still perceived by most as something magical or mysterious, a special innate talent possessed by a lucky few, blessed with the right DNA. Creativity must be a “gift from the gods.”

A better question to ask

Fortunately for those companies with a strong desire and commitment to develop an innovation-driven culture, there is a more productive (and less polarizing) question they can ask to gain clarity on the subject: “Can our people be taught to think more creatively?”

Consider the difference between “Can creativity be taught?” and “Can our people be taught to think more creatively?”

The beauty of reframing the original question in this new way is that it allows greater discernment in the distinction between the words creativity ( generally thought of as the innate talent or ability to create or perform original works) and creative thinking (the ability to make new connections between ideas or concepts). Perhaps not everyone possesses the natural ability to create or perform a work of art; but surely everyone possesses the ability to make new mental connections if taught effective processes and techniques for doing so.

So no matter how conventional a person’s imagination or creative sensibilities might appear, it stands to reason that in a non-judgmental, supportive environment, with the right structure, training, and proven tools and techniques to engage the mind in new and different ways, a person can be taught to solve challenges by making creative connections they haven’t imagined previously.

Every milestone in innovation begins as a new insight or creative connection in the mind. But businesses don’t need Picassos; they need more creative thinkers. And millions of them are just waiting to be shown the way.