Article. Www.thinkingoutloud.com: What Predicts The Ability To Innovate? NASA had a problem. What's the screening criteria for a job that's never been done before - like going to the moon? Namely how do you find those guys (and it was guys then) who have the highest predictive chance of success at something that has never been done before? They found test/fighter pilots. But in more general terms, they found a talent pool of people who had failed and recovered. (It's rather apparent what happened to those who had failed and NOT recovered.) Think (and Meet People) Outside Your Box. I'm a firm believer that new ideas and innovations result from networking with people outside of your normal social and professional circles.
I've found they offer new ways of envisioning the possibilities. Educators too often overlook the power of networking. AfriGadget. Getting Schooled In Design. Innovation requires imagination.
Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse. " Making innovative leaps requires design thinking and a culture that looks beyond what exists today. In the past two years, Nussbaum has written and blogged almost daily about the ways in which D-school (Design school), not B-school (Business school), is reshaping the way companies compete and businesses operate.