Kurt Vonnegut: Out On the Edge of Innovation
"Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see them first." —Kurt Vonnegut
The quote (above) from Kurt Vonnegut is an inspirational spark for driving breakthrough change across an organization, especially for tech leaders and entrepreneurs. Those of us on the edge, the innovators and early adopters, are the ones who have the vision to see the big, undreamed-of things that are yet to come. Their unique perspective allows them to spot opportunities and challenges before they become apparent to the mainstream.
Technology Adoption is Faster Than Ever (HBR.org)
The pace of adoption is accelerating every year, so businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve must embrace a culture of innovation and encourage their teams to chase the unknown and look past the core of the day-to-day grind. Similarly, leaders need to remember that the people who are "out on the edge" or at the periphery of an organization, such as frontline employees or those working in customer-facing roles, are often the first to see new opportunities and identify unmet needs that may not be apparent to those in leadership positions.
Here are some examples of how companies have successfully applied concepts from one industry to another to create disruptive industry advantages:
Netflix took the subscription model used in the magazine industry and applied it to home video rentals.
Airbnb applied the sharing economy model (e.g., Uber) to short-term vacation rentals.
Waze used the crowd-sourced data model from social media to provide real-time traffic (and police traps) that is more accurate and up-to-date than traditional navigation systems.
These companies achieved massive success by being willing to think outside the box and apply concepts from other industries to their own. If trendspotting and connecting dots across industries don't come naturally to you, there are still approaches you can take to drive this innovative type of thinking.
Encourage employees to attend conferences, networking events, and workshops in other industries.
Actively seek new perspectives and insights from people at all levels of the organization and across functions (especially customer-facing roles).
Ask... "How would X solve this problem?" Think of world-class leaders like The Walt Disney Company making magical experiences, or Apple, who ensures each product is beautiful and intuitive.
'Follow the money' -- watching where early venture investment in startups is flowing across industries.
Fall in love with customer problems, putting the user at the center of your design process and inviting them to give feedback on early prototypes.
Give Your Mind the Space it Needs to Discover the Edges
Kurt Vonnegut knew that our attention serves as a form of mental gravity. So with each trend coming faster than the last, find space in your mind for the unexpected. Not just what your competitors are doing but what will delight your customer of tomorrow.
The edge is where the magic happens, and those who dare to venture there will reap the rewards.
