The Zen of Innovation

Reflections on the Creativity of the Human Mind

© interKnowledge Technologies

Bodhidharma Patriarch of zen buddhism

Our nature is the mind. The mind is our nature.

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Past mind can't be grasped,Present mind can't be grasped,Future mind can't be grasped.With which mind will you drink this tea?

Zen master Dogen1200 - 1253

Enso (Zen circle)symbolizesenlightenment,a “mind moment”of fundamentalinsight.

Innovation is in our nature

The human need to explore, discover, decorate, dominate, conquer, protect, invent, tell stories and make magic goes all the way back to our origin as a species.

Both zen and innovation:

• involve exploration and discovery• uncover latent possibilities• strive for a breakthrough

Innovation is driven not just by the need for business growth or market dominance, but also by the imagination, creativity and ingenuity of the human mind.

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All innovation involves good ideas. Good innovation turns good ideas into good business

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butwhat’s a good idea?

Daruma (Bodhidharma)by Nakahara Nantenbo1912

A good idea is simply an idea that, if implemented, will bring about something good.

A really good idea is a good ideain which lie embedded the seeds of even better ones.

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In business, a good idea• satisfies an existing demand in a new and better way• satisfies or creates a new demand• attracts resources and support for its implementation

All artists are creative. Some artists are also innovative,creating in waysthat haven’t beendone or seen before.

“Catalan Landscape”Joan Miró1893 - 1983

Creativity and Innovation are not the same

Pablo Picasso1881 - 1973Co-inventor of cubism

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When we discovered cubism, we did not have the aim of discovering

cubism. We only wanted to express what was in us.

“The Guitar Player”Pablo Picasso 1910

Whatever learning there may be in zen, it comes from our own mindD. T. SuzukiZen author & scholarD. T. Suzuki

1870 - 1966

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Creative thinking requires focusing on a problem followed by “defocusing”, i.e. relaxing and letting the mind wander on its own, creating opportunities for sudden insights to occur.

In zen, koans and mondos are used to exhaust and disable the analytical mind, paving the way for (existential) insight.

An innovation mondo

What is a good idea?YesWhat do you mean?NoI don’t understandNeither do I

Insight is preceded by, but is not the result of, logical effort. It comes suddenly out of “nowhere” and with a feeling of absolute certainty.“Nowhere” is the creative mind associated with the righthemisphere of the brain.

The eureka moment

prefrontal cortex

left brainlogical

right braincreative

analysis

connect

focu

s relaxinsight

Creative Thinking

The mind has many “dots”that can be connected in many ways, forming many patterns.

Creativity is abouthaving more dotsto connectSteve Jobs, CEO, Apple

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In groups, diversity in thinking involves multiple experiences,perspectives, expertise and thinking styles.

Creative thinking takes time. The mind needs time to “soak” in the problem.

A person who never has time to think, may turn into a thoughtless person.Likewise, an organization that doesn’t have time to think, may turn into a thoughtless organization

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In the creative process, we cannot tell when we will be finished,but we will know when we are

Anders HemreinterKnowledge TechnologiesBrainovation Blog ahemre@interknowledgetech.com

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