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The collision of random ideas often results in the
most interesting and exciting innovations. Like the French entomologist who, while
examining a wasp's nest, got the idea of manufacturing paper from wood pulp.
Fortune magazine reports how the inventor of the gasoline lead replacement,
MTBE, used
ideas from his mother-in-law, barber, and secretary. Even quack science has played a role.
Phrenology, which attempted to divine character and mental traits by studying bumps on the
head, is said to have inspired the current science of mapping the brain.
When
scientists from different disciplines get together and invent, they call it
"crosscutting." That's what they call it today, but it's nothing new. Two bicycle
makers invented the airplane and a goldsmith invented the printing press. From the
Washington Post we learn that when Rita Rossi Colwell, director of the National Science
Foundation, works on fighting cholera in India, she looks at social as well as biological
approaches to a solution. For example, in addition to attacking the bacterium, she
considers getting Indian women to filter their drinking water through their sari cloths.
Creative people open themselves to diverse ideas. The more ideas they have floating around
their heads, the better their chances of putting together a winning combination. They also
increase their chances of success by using stimulation from random sources.
The next time you're stuck, stop focusing on the problem. Get up, go somewhere, and
explore totally unrelated subjects. Your intuition, if you let it, will make some
surprising combinations. If you listen to your intuition, you'll come up with some
exciting solutions. |
