Have you ever had a great idea only to have it rejected by your organization?

If you are nodding your head, you will want to read Think Wrong: How to Conquer the Status Quo and Do Work that Matters. The authors, John Bielenberg, Mike Burn, and Greg Galle, lead a Silicon Valley innovation firm called Future Partners that gives people the language, frameworks, and tools they need to drive positive change in their organizations and communities.

John, Mike and Greg explain the two important reasons we experience these hurdles, namely, human biology and culture. Then, they walk us through ways to challenge and, ultimately, overcome them.

In this interview we discuss:

How thinking right is all about predictable results and ho-hum solutions
How thinking wrong feels awkward because we are acting outside what is acceptable
The fact that we cannot follow the same predictable paths if we want to create and innovate
How a lot of brains operating on the same neural pathways create a culture
The six practices of thinking wrong: be bold, get out, let go, make stuff, bet small, and move fast
How letting go is about rethinking assumptions, biases and orthodoxies
The importance of making stuff so that our ideas come to life for others to see
Why betting small lets us run lots of inexpensive experiments
How moving fast allows us to iterate together on learning to accelerate progress
Why innovative outlaws need a shepherd and a scout to offset organizational sheriffs and posses
How biology and culture limit our thinking and ability to innovate
The fact that we say we want innovation when we really want optimization
How stepping off a predictable path makes us feel uncomfortable and vulnerable
The value of teaching different kinds of problem-solving systems
The value of learning from investment over return on investment
How incremental innovation, or increvation, will not help us solve big, important problems

Episode Links

@FuturePartner

Future Partners

Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio

Mach49

Deflection Point Exercise

Uncertain and Unknown Exercise

Creative Change by Jennifer Mueller

Project M

CM 081: Future Partners on Overcoming Resistance to Innovation

Curious Minds at Work