This idea struck me yesterday... Innovation is a ghost [see photo]. In many instances it is not seen because it is translucent [like Casper The Friendly Ghost... ha, ha, ha]. This means that innovation is a challenge for most mindsets because it needs a context to become lucid, practical, and useful. And context comes with strategic thinking and actions. Given that people/workers/students tend to be tactical [not strategic] thinkers the innovation we need the most are left lurking in the shadows of our mindlessness.
Let me get practical for a moment... I was once given the green light to go ghost hunting [looking for innovations] within a global organisation. I held that privilege for 3 years. The reason I was able to hunt down [and expose] the innovations that we [my team of volunteers and I] did is that I remained an "outsider". I signed in each day as if I was from another planet, time zone, and mindset. And the volunteers who worked with me were "insiders" who knew where all the skeletons were buried; but, who also were on the "outside" of their corporate culture because they were not compliant, not agreeable, or were not team players [heaven forbid]. Well together we found umpteen "innovations" and brought them to light to the benefit of many internal and external clients of the entity. Of course not all the kids who were playing in this particular sandpit were happy to see these ghosts [innovations] revealed. And this is the norm for all of us who are hired to innovate.
Richard.
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