*This is the third of a multi-part blog exploring key points from Tony Wagner's book Creating Innovators. If you haven't read it yet, I highly
recommend doing so. You will find it worth your time as an educator and, if you have kids, as a parent. Creating Innovators can be found on Amazon here.
Also, please be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section as I am interested in how this book challenges you (or doesn't) as an educational leader.
The last two blog posts in this series dealt with why it is critical that we create innovators. If you are interested in reading or re-reading them, click on these links to go to
Part I and
Part II. In the final two installments, we will look at some of the characteristics of innovators (Part III) as well as what parents, educators, and businesses should consider to encourage their children, students, and employees to be innovators (Part IV).
So, what does an innovator look like? I am sure if I asked you to picture one in your mind's eye that images of Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Alexander Graham Bell might come to mind. Did you consider Mozart, Beethoven, Elvis, the Beatles, Steven Spielberg, or George Lucas (a new Star Wars movie is on the way :)? What about Henry Ford, Sam Walton, Sir Richard Branson, or Jack Welch? Maybe even John Dewey and Horace Mann? No doubt the creative work of these individuals has and will continue to impact our lives. Even as I write this,
All You Need Is Love is playing in my headphones connected to my iPhone.
The individuals listed above are innovative giants in the fields of science, technology, art, business and education. But, it is not necessary to be famous to be innovative and have an impact. When considering the previous two posts of this series, it is critical that we unlock the creativity and innovation of everyone we can. Before moving on to the how, though, let's consider the what. What does an innovator look like?
Tony Wagner offers the following as some of the most essential qualities of a successful innovator in his book:
- curiosity, what is a habit of asking good questions and a desire to understand more deeply,
- collaboration, which begins with listening to and learning from others who have perspectives and expertise that are very different from your own,
- associative or integrative thinking, and
- a bias toward action and experimentation.
Mapping these qualities to the innovators provided above quickly makes the case that they each possess(ed) much of what is listed. But, what about the rest of us? According to some thought leaders offered in Creating Innovators, there is good news! Tim Brown, who writes the Design Thinking Blog, states that, "Contrary to popular opinion, you don't need weird shoes or a black turtleneck to be a design thinker (innovator). Nor are design thinkers necessarily created only by design schools, even though most professionals have had some kind of design training. My experience is that many people outside professional design have a natural aptitude for design thinking, which the right development and experiences can unlock." In other words, innovative qualities can be learned and nurtured in us.
In addition to the characteristics listed above, there is another quality innovators seem to possess that is critical to discuss: intrinsic motivation. Dictionary.com defines intrinsic motivation "as the undertaking of an activity, as a hobby, without external incentive; also, personal satisfaction derived through self-initiated achievement." (Don't you find it interesting, or sad, that the definition references a hobby rather than work?) Innovating to change the status quo for the better takes a significant amount of resilience and perseverance. One must possess a great sense of passion and purpose, have the ability to assume risk and take on setbacks, manage limited resources, posses the courage to resist push-back from peers who are comfortable with the way things are, and overcome outright failure.
Maybe one of the most famous historical examples of overcoming huge odds is what it took for Thomas Edison to create the incandescent light bulb. About.com shares that, "while most of the attention was on the discovery of the right kind of filament that would work, Edison actually had to invent a total of seven system elements that were critical to the practical application of electric lights as an alternative to the gas lights that were prevalent in that day." Wow! Seven system elements had to be created in addition to the thousands of materials that were tested before the right one was found for the filament. If it were me, the gas lights would probably be looking pretty good about seven filament material tests in. No doubt Edison and his team were filled with a large dose of intrinsic motivation to get the job done.
When discussing innovation, it is important that we look at the flip-side of intrinsic motivation: extrinsic motivation (what did you expect?). Let's go back to the definition this time provided by PhsychologyDictionary.org. "Extrinsic motivation is the binary opposite to intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation explains the drive for an individual to participate within a specific activity or role given the potential to achieve a reward or punishment." Punishment... not what I would consider to be very motivating. Bearing in mind the risk required to innovate and our need to create innovators, an overemphasis on the old carrot and stick model is not going to cut it. Consider this thought from Daniel Pink in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, "The problem with making an extrinsic reward the only destination that matters is that some people will choose the quickest route there, even if it means taking the low road. Indeed, most of the scandals and misbehavior that seemed endemic to modern life involve shortcuts." Unfortunately, too many of our systems at home, in school, and at work are set up with an over-reliance on extrinsic motivators.
We will take a look at how we can encourage a culture of innovation in our homes, schools, and businesses in the final post of this series. In the meantime, please consider offering your thoughts. Here are a couple of questions to help your thinking:
What qualities must individuals possess to be innovative?
Do you agree or disagree that intrinsic motivation is critical for innovation? Why?
Is extrinsic motivation really a innovation killer? Why or why not?
Creating Innovators: Why It Needs Our Attention (Part I)
Creating Innovators: Why It Needs Our Attention (Part II)
#DanielPink #IntrinsicMotivation #CreatingInnovators #TonyWagner #ExtrinsicMotivation