http://www.fastcompany.com/1707684/harnessing-ignorance-to-spark-creativity
This post on Fast Company frames the Not-Invented-Here barrier to collaboration in a rather provocative way, by saying that innovative solutions lie in harnessing ignorance and naivete. Insular groups may find themselves in a rut by constantly reinforcing the same ideas and beliefs. Fresh eyes, even those that may not be entirely familiar with the problem, can provide a much needed new point of view and completely novel solutions. Of course, one underlying assumption behind this is that your network is diverse enough to have access to people with different backgrounds and experiences.
2 replies on “Ignorance and Creativity”
“Beginner’s mind” I guess, is how they might put it at the Shambhala Center around the corner.
Remember the Malawian teenager who designed and built a windmill, having only seen a picture of one? Fresh eyes really can lead to creative outcomes.
This is also why some brainstorming techniques require participants to suspend judgment until all ideas (reasonable and ridiculous) have been given a chance.