Month: July 2018

Welcome to the new intellectual frontier: innovation.

Innovation (another term for complex problem solving) and critical thinking are the most sought after skills in the global job market—but the most difficult to fill, according to The Future of Jobs report published by the World Economic Forum.

Following the report, innovation became a national agenda item and may become an important part of the Trump-Republican platform, thanks to Newt Gingrich.

Innovation and critical thinking share the same cognitive space. They embrace anything that leads to discovery. The discovery of something new is what they are all about. But for really big discoveries, finding solutions to complex problems is now our greatest challenge that we face as a nation, just as when Nick Steinsberger discovered how to extract gas and oil from shale deep underground.

So let us rise to this new challenge, as we have so done in the past, and renew our commitment to be a nation of innovators.

Recent innovations in aviation, medicine, finance, and insurance highlight the cognitive processes involved in big discoveries. Contrary to what many believe, new ideas emerge from a rather systematic, disciplined process rather than from an off-the-cuff  endeavor.

The cognitive resources that help someone discover solutions to complex problems do not reside in any one discipline and, more importantly, do not emerge from data. Indeed, ninety percent of all enterprise data collected is never used—an enormous waste.

Breakthroughs in innovation and critical thinking do not come from what others know. They come from what many, or most, do not know but should. Thus the current view that justifies a particular cognitive arena or discipline is not likely to generate higher-order innovations (big ideas). Rather, they are content with small scale, incremental innovations. While playing it safe is okay with many cost-conscious managers, big picture thinking and breakthrough ideas are what America is all about, and are what we all should strive for.

Stay tuned! In our upcoming radio shows, podcasts, and blogs, we will expand on these ideas of critical thinking and innovation in America.