Re: Learning vs. Innovation LO1502

Barry Mallis (barry_mallis@powershare.markem.com)
2 Jun 1995 12:28:09 -0400

Replying to LO1449 --

To David Justice, regarding learning and innovation

David,

Some years ago I had an active working relationship with W.J.J. Gordon of
SES Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Teaching at the time, I used
his theories for generating explicit creativity in the classroom (high
school students in my case).

Bill Gordon's research over the years at Harvard made it clear to him that
the way in which we learn is "connection making". In order to learn
something new, we make a connection with something we already know from
experience. Gordon did much research in the area of invention (he himself
had a significant number of patents to his name). Having consulted with
this country's top R & D companies, he made his own connections between
the his theories and the reality of innovation and invention.

Gordon discovered, identified and de-mystified the creativity process. He
made creativity available to virtually everyone. For the classroom, the
use of the analog to generate new perspectives and to synthesize new
thoughts from what was already "on the dinner plate" became a natural way
to have students honor their own experience while generating very
thoughtful, creatively expressed and connected writing. I'd be happy to
share some of my experiences with you, citing specific examples of how
students across a broad range of "capabilities" reacted to learning about
this method of expression and idea synthesis using analogs.

Today's posting of messages contained many which refer to learning. Some
ask how this might be identified and successfully measured in a business
environment. Right today I think it's a dicey issue, this direct
measuring of learning. But I think we all know that the indirect results
of learning are there for us to see or sense.

Isn't it impossible to judge, if judge we want, the moment of idea
creation or problem solution? What's going on in the mind is key, but
there's an ongoing shift from the conscious to the subconscious. Ideas
slide through the curtains first to one side then to the other. By making
connections with our exprience, thinkers "come up with" solutions from the
deep well inside each of us.

What is possible, according to Gordon, is the inculcation of connection
making. We can stimulate this process and make ourselves better
connection makers, so better solvers, designers, managers.

I don't wish to convey the idea that in a company one will be measured on
a tote board by the number of "good" ideas or connections posted today.
What does work in a business environment is how actively we respond to,
how well we anticipate, the needs of customers whom we wish to delight.
There's a great barrier to be breached between the sensibilities of those
in the trenches and those who have more time to consider organization
learning.

Some lesson is to be learned from the concept of the dual nature of
work--improvement and daily work combined in the jobs we do--as a vehicle
for today's and future endeavors in this field.

Regards,

--
Barry Mallis                                 "The world is the closed door.
Total Quality Resource Manager     It is the barrier.  And
MARKEM Corporation                  at the same time it is
Keene, NH 03431                          the way through."
bmallis@markem.com