Why don’t our leaders say – We should imagine more!

You routinely hear leaders asking their staff to innovate or think out of the box.  But frankly won’t they  be better off asking their staff to imagine more.   Why?  Since imagination is the key and sometimes the only way to innovate truly.  But that is easier said than done.  Imagination is a skill which needs to be developed especially since for most of the time in the adult world, we have spent being a realist and we are generally criticised for imagining or dreaming about things.

The best way to see imagination in its purest form is in children.  Observe closely the next time your child or his friends play.  They have no boundaries, they are not scared of being laughed at, they don't know what is possible and what is not and hence they can imagine freely.  As for the majority of us, we will be lucky if we could be spared some time in this state before we are brought down to our practical world.

So what can we do?  Suggest we set aside dedicated time for imagination sessions every week at our offices.  What do we do in these sessions?  Here are some thoughts to get you started.  Once you get in the flow of things, sky is really the limit.

1. Ask folks to imagine how their product will be used by consumers in the future.
2. Imagine how new features for your product will be used by your customers
3. Imagine a world where your product is not present.  How does the customer satisfy the need that your product caters to?
4. Come up with at least 10 non-traditional uses of your product.  The product should not have been designed with this use in mind.
5. Imagine how you will sell your product to somebody who does not understand your language.

I think you get the drift.  These exercises are not important and there are no right answers. But it is very important for your team members to start visualising and letting their imagination fly again.  Ensure that criticism is not allowed and reward the most revolutionary thoughts. Over a period of time, your staff should be able to imagine freely again and then the true magic of innovation can happen.

Happy Innovating! I mean happy Imagining!

Can a bit of insanity nail down the solution?

We all are good at trying the acknowledged path to get to a solution. My question is - will it help if we add a bit of insanity to it?

What if we imagine that the constraints for solving the problem do not exist? If a solution requires air to be passing through the glass, assume it can. If your solution needs a vacuum to operate in the open sky, assume it is available.

Get hold of such multiple imaginary solutions, then start working backwards. Ask what are the alternatives to get those unachievable constraint(s) replaced by something which is practical, while moving your insane solution towards a more practical one.

Reduce one constraint at a time and note down the ideas you get during this elimination. Don’t eliminate your constraint from being there, to not being there in one step, reduce it gradually (if vacuum was the assumption, then assume vacuum available only for one minute in twenty four hours, if it can’t work out, then say it is only available in the closed environment, then, only if there is no way to create the vacuum where your solution will play; then say vacuum is not available).

Reduce the insanity in your solution only when you and your team give up on that particular insanity! Check out if the ideas, the arguments you had during this time are useful to you, if it is, then put it back in your acknowledged path of getting to a solution.

Let’s try an example. A new axe design is required, an axe should be heavy so it can create impact, and light so it is easy to handle. In other words we have contradicting requirements - Axe should be both heavy and light!

What could be insane to think while designing the new axe?

1) Keep on increasing the length of the handle, till the swing provides the desired impact.

2) Make the iron weigh nothing during the swing, but make it heavy when near to the impact.

3) Have an axe filled with heavy liquid, which moved towards the head at the time of impact.

4) One impact creates a ripple of impacts automatically.

5) Grow pre-cut trees, so the axe itself is not needed.

6) The handle does not cut the wood, get rid of the handle.

We do not know what went in the minds of innovator for this new design. But after a few iterations of working backwards, a new axe was designed which sort of achieved both the results of being heavy and light simultaneously.

The center of gravity was moved towards the head by reducing the weight of the handle. Now the axe has more impact and due to hollow handle overall weight of the axe is reduced.

Insane thinking by sane people can lead to a long tail within, and to a desired solution. Give it a try.