Harnessing the Power of Beginner’s Mind: Why Naïveté Might Be Your Innovation Superpower
Sometimes what you don’t know can help you.
The naïve mind asks questions that test widely held assumptions. The naïve mind dares to ask the stupid questions, not even realizing they might be stupid. The naïve mind makes abstract conclusions that someone steeped in the problem can’t see or hear – not because of being closed-minded, but because the human brain excels at seeking out data that fits established patterns – data that fits with what it already knows.
We see this in political discourse; heated debates from the left or the right fixate on the talking points that prove their political point, distorting or eliminating data that doesn’t mesh with their point of view. But even highly skilled scientists, trained to be observant, skeptical and curious, can fail to see a different and possibly breakthrough answer that’s right in front of their eyes.
A good example: Kevin Dunbar is a researcher who studies how scientists do research, in particular how scientists fail and how they succeed. He tells the story of two labs that encountered the same problem. One lab had a mixed team with a range of different kinds of scientists and medical students. The other lab team was made up entirely of highly specialized scientists who were experts in one specific field. The group of experts took several weeks to sort out the problem. In the diverse team, nobody was expert, so they all traded questions and used metaphors and analogies to solve the problem…in about 10 minutes.
So if your team is fairly expert, it might help to invite a non-expert who may be especially fluid or creative, but who’s in the dark about the subject at hand. Their questions often end up redefining the problem, and because they are unencumbered with the conventional wisdom, they are freer to think of wild and unusual ideas to solve a problem. Even if their ideas are too far out, they can at least provoke the thinking of the rest of the group an unlock them from their habitual thinking.
Scientific experiments rarely reveal what scientists expect; brainstorming sessions don’t always yield the ideas you’re expecting either. The trick is to weed through all the failures or “not-quite-right” ideas – using the naïve mind – so you can see the successes and opportunities embedded within. Like the over-told (but here it is again) story of the failure that created Post-It® notes. One inventor, Spencer Silver, developed the re-usable adhesive in 1968 but had trouble persuading 3M to market it. Six years later, Art Fry, an engineer from a different department who’d heard about the glue, started using it with small sheets of paper to make page markers in his hymnal. Then he used it to write notes to his boss. Eventually, the failed invention became one of 3M’s most famous products.
Next time you have a sticky problem that requires innovative thinking, invite some naïve minds with innocent questions and unfiltered responses, or a few inspired minds from a different métier who’ll re-frame and diversify your thinking. What they don’t know might be just what you need.
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Know Further: Read about the value of ignorance and how to promote ignorance in your organization. More about the beginner’s mind; and Shunryu Suzuki’s classic text: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.