Innovation by Those Outside the Field
In many instances, people outside of a particular field produce innovations. For instance,
• The ballpoint pen was invented by a sculptor.
• The parking meter was invented by a journalist.
• The Wright brothers were bike mechanics, not aeronautical engineers.
• Kodachrome film was developed by a musician. (source unknown)
Sometimes those inside a field or domain are so glued to existing systems and processes in place that they fail to see new possibilities. Futurist Joel Barker calls this “being stuck in one’s paradigm.” A paradigm is the rules of a given systems—the way things work within that particular domain. People living in a defined paradigm accept rules as they are. People outside the paradigm see the world differently, and are not bound by those same rules. Looking at the world differently, they can be more open to possibilities in new innovations.
Resource: Innovation at the Verge
Innovation at the Verge is a video written and produced by Joel Barker. This video shows how many innovations emanate from the confluence of two ideas. For instance, gift bags emerged at the confluence of gift wrap and brown paper bags. This video pushes viewers to examine the verges around them. It gives viewers tools to use to build the innovation capacity in their organizations.