Ideaflow summary

What do creativity and innovation in business look like to you? Is it filing a new patent? Launching a new product? Creating a viral marketing campaign that brings in tons of clicks?

Nope. Patents, products, and campaigns are the result of creativity. If you’re focused solely on the results, you’re looking at the concept through the wrong end of the telescope. Creativity is a process. And if that process isn’t up and running, then you’re going to have a tough time coming up with a brilliant new idea when your back’s against the wall. 

For decades, conventional business has turned to one tactic when innovative ideas are needed fast: the trusty brainstorming session. But here’s why traditional corporate brainstorming doesn’t work.

Sessions invite too many generalists rather than experts with deep knowledge to offer grounded solutions.

Say you’ve boosted your ideaflow. You’re capturing new concepts as they come to you. You’re brainstorming better. You’ve got hundreds of ideas. But now comes the tricky part: Which of those ideas are you going to take to the next level? In other words, which idea is the right idea?

We’ll answer that question – but before we do, let’s take a quick sidebar to talk about the relative salt levels in the Dead Sea and the nearby Sea of Galilee. Both seas are fed by Israel’s River Jordan. But the Dead Sea has no outlet. The fresh water pumped into it by the River Jordan has nowhere to go. Eventually, it evaporates. As a result, the Dead Sea has a phenomenally high salt content – too high for fish, seaweed, or other marine life to survive. The Sea of Galilee, on the other hand, does have an outflow. Fresh water pumps through it constantly, and it supports a teeming marine ecosystem.

Have you ever heard of the Marshmallow Challenge? Designer Tom Wujec presents the challenge at all of his seminars. The challenge is this: You’ve got 20 sticks of spaghetti, some string, a marshmallow, and 18 minutes in which to create the tallest tower possible using these materials. 

The marshmallow is heavier and harder to anchor than most people anticipate, so a sturdy foundation is crucial. The most effective tower-builders, in Wujec’s experience, are kindergartners, who build, on average, 18-inch towers. They don’t come to the challenge with any preconceived ideas, so they’re open to experimentation and iteration – an approach that yields results! The least effective tower-builders? MBA grads, who don’t build in time for experimentation but are focused on finding the most effective solution and executing it. The results are paltry 10-inch structures.