The goal of this blog is to try and establish a relation between boredom, stupidity, creativity and innovation. Let’s begin with a brief definition of each word.
Boredom- Boredom is an emotional state experienced when an individual is without any work or is not interested in their surroundings (Wikipedia.org). The word “boredom” was first used in the year 1856 by Charles Dickens.
Stupidity- James F. Wells, in his book, "Understanding Stupidity,” defines stupidity as, "The term used to designate a mentality which is considered to be informed, deliberate and maladaptive." Dr. Welles distinguishes stupidity from ignorance; one must know they are acting in their own worst interest. Secondly, it must be a choice, not a forced act or accident. Lastly, it requires the activity to be maladaptive, in that it is in the worst interest of the actor.
Creativity- Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new (a product, a solution, a work of art, a novel, a joke, etc.) that has some kind of value (Wikipedia.org).
Innovation- The term innovation derives from the Latin word innovatus, which is the noun form of innovare "to renew or change," stemming from in-"into" + novus-"new" (Wikipedia.org).
Hypothesis:
a. Boredom + Stupidity + Unknowns + Knowns (like, technology) = Creativity
b. Creativity * Execution = Innovation
The reason the left hand side of (a.) is additive is the fact that the existence of these variables are optional. Even if say Boredom score is zero (0), the process of creativity may not be hampered. However, in (b.), both creativity and execution are mandatory. If Execution score is zero, then innovation is not possible.
A lot of articles have been written on the relationship between boredom and creativity. An article in Indian Express explored this relationship recently (July 22, 2011). In fact, a book has also been written on the same (Boredom: A Lively History). Think about it. When do you get the most brilliant ideas for the presentation? Or the most obvious answer to that difficult question? Is it not on the pot, when you have absolutely nothing to do (well, technically you do!). The more bored you get, the more you force yourself to think about things and thus, the more creative you become.
The relation between stupidity and creativity may not be this obvious. The year is 1903; the Wright brothers decide to take their first flight. Think how stupid the idea would have sounded then. Men flying like birds! According to the definition of stupidity, the mentality was maladaptive. The Wright brothers knew that the cost (monetary and physical) would clearly outweigh the benefit. "Flight is possible to man... [and] I feel that it will soon cost me an increased amount of money if not my life". - Wilbur Wright said. His quote checks all the criteria of stupidity; he was aware of the far greater cost as compared to the benefit. By all accounts a stupid act.
Albert Einstein famously said,” If an idea doesn’t sound stupid at first, then there is no hope for it later”. The great man closes the discussion.
The importance of execution in innovation has been hammered into the minds of young leaders in b-schools. Professors like Vijay Govindarajan have written about it (hbr.org). Thomas Edison, the greatest innovator of all time, put it well: "Innovation is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." The use of multiplication in our equation stresses on the importance of execution. So, it is easier and more beneficial for a company with a creativity score of 5 and execution score of 2, to increase its execution score to 3 or 4 rather than increase the creativity score to 6 or 7.
To conclude, ask stupid questions. Make stupid suggestions. Burn all your books. Get bored. Create. Execute.
