How To Be Ingenious

I have a friend who frequently tells me of a new and exciting idea he's had that can make money. My usual response is to say that I think it's a great idea and that he should do something with it. This in turn tends to produce a look of disappointment which he explains is because what he wants is someone to take his brilliant idea and make money with it. And then, if successful, they'll reward his brilliance with a nice meal or a house depending on how great the realisation of his idea has been. I suspect we all know people like this and will ourselves indulge in the game of 'creative thinking' from time to time. But my friend kept coming to mind as I read How to be Ingenious by Jamie Young of the RSA recently.

The central tenant of the paper is that creativity and creative problem solving are all well and good but that things don't really get going in a meaningful way until one gets ingenious. And that real ingenuity involves a 'frugal elegance' which thrives in an environment of mild deprivation, as it is only then that we are forced to look at what we have in a different light. Young and his colleagues go on to define the ideal environments in which ingenuity can be fostered.

This seems largely to consist of being mindful of the human instinct to resent being deprived and to foster team work and a sense of collective endeavour so that any potential resentment is swept aside in the tide of battling-the-odds. Having endless resources at your disposal, they suggest, leads to lazier thinking as one is not forced to adapt to the challenge.

There seems to be much work still to do, this paper is just the start of project run by the RSA's Design Team, to try and work out how to enable more ingenuity. A resource that could make a meaningful difference in the current climate as an alternative to 'doing less as there's less money' is worthy of further study. I for one will watch their progress with interest.

Also, what I really liked about it was that I could read the paper in one short sitting, get loads of helpful examples and have to option, as an RSA Fellow, of engaging in the learning process.

However for my ideas-rich friend I can see little cause for optimism. For what these guys are really saying is what any experienced business person knows only too well. Working stuff out is hard, you never have enough resource and there ain't no short cuts.