June’s Night with a Futurist saw Todd Siler discussing the future of innovation. Siler believes that the key constraints to innovation lie in the limitations individuals place around their thinking and creativity added to the subsequent inability to communicate ideas effectively to other people. Siler noted that people “live in a highly compartmentalized world” where different knowledge is siloed. Yet in order to innovate, people must “stand back and reintegrate.” This process can be frightening given the chaos that exists within the human mind but is necessary because inspiration results from the “chaotic moment of piecing elements together.” Siler urged people to “take time to reflect” which allows this integration of ideas to happen.
Even if an individual comes to grips with the fact that the “innovation process is naturally messy,” he still must be able to communicate and explain the idea to others. Insecurity plays a role as many ideas go unspoken for fear of appearing foolish. Beyond this fear, there is still the need to find a way to express the new idea. To this end, Siler urged the use of tools to “make the thought process tangible” as breakthroughs happen by giving form to the thought process. One way to encourage this is to “provide basic building materials and encourage” people to express their thoughts by constructing physical models of their ideas. Siler noted the opportunity to generate broad understanding among those with diverse experiences in an accelerated time frame via this method. The fundamental belief behind these methods is that people are much better able to understand through doing as opposed to simply listening or looking.
Siler believes that the fruits of this innovation and understanding should be put toward creating a more sustainable future. As a broad definition to a sustainable future Siler offered “meeting present needs without compromising the needs of the future,” although he acknowledged that a more specific definition is still uncertain and means different things to different people. Siler further stated a belief that creating this future was possible through the “use of current technology,” although he expressed some trepidation that “we can technology ourselves to death.” In conclusion, Siler urged people to “unchain the brain”, “transcend compartmentalized thinking,” and view the world through a larger frame.
Siler’s remarks were followed by a panel moderated by ColoradoBiz Magazine’s Mike Cote. During this time Siler was joined on stage by:
- Paul Bauer, a professor at the Daniels College of Business
- Jon M. Otsuki, the CEO of GV Labs
- Sherman Woo, the CTO for GVLabs
The panel focused on the same broad topics as Siler’s presentation and looked at the issues through a lens of how they could be applied to business. Woo noted that while “little inventions have huge human consequences,” it is hard to identify which ones will have these impacts. The question then becomes “should we hear from everyone” or how to determine which ideas should be given their days in the sun. Otsuki focused on tools that can generate common understanding quickly, favoring visual and tangible representations like Siler, as this enables the creative process to “move at the speed of business.” Bauer noted the need to balance the goal of common understanding with the perhaps more expedited method of discovery – “try something and then go back and tweak it.”
The DaVinci Institute produces a variety of events designed to share the knowledge of most talented thinkers and seasoned veterans who have fundamentally changed the business landscape. Upcoming events include an Affiliate Marketing Boot Camp on June 13 and a Startup Junking Underground on June 15, featuring Gregg Vanourek.
