Most of us go through life defined by the norms around us. For example, if the norms around us say life is black or white, which is all we see and live by. If it says, life is lived within a box, indeed which is where we will be and live in.

This is what is typically known as living the “Status quo” or “business as usual”.

In fact, decisions, conclusions, and solutions (as made by individuals, companies and even nations) are created, professed and executed based on these norms and life as they know it revolves around these norms.

However, when one goes beyond the normal, and sees a colour beyond the black and white perspective or thinks outside the box and does the unexpected, then there is an innovation.

Now in an attempt to define innovation, a search on Google gave thousands of definitions.

Google, for instance, sees innovation as “the action or process of innovating”.

Oxford dictionary defines it as; “Make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products”.

Merriam-webster dictionary explains it as “a new idea, method, or device:”

On the other hand, according to Wikipedia, innovation in its modern meaning is said to be” coming up with a new idea, creative thoughts and new imaginations. Indeed, innovation is also viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs”, etc.

In my humble opinion, innovation is not a zero-sum game and for innovation to thrive, inter alia, these two cardinal values must subsist for innovation to be enhanced. The values are:

1. Simple is better

2. Pushing the envelope

1. Simple is better

History credits Henry Ford, as the  “father” of the auto industry thanks to his democratization of the auto industry with his Model T, which revolutionized transportation and the American industry.

As a matter of fact, Ford did not invent the car, the engine, nor design the “best” model on the market. However, he is so highly regarded because Henry Ford knew a profound truth — “Simpler is better than better”. He was relentlessly driven by the passion to be simple.

Like Henry Ford, Albert Einstein argued that “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

In essence “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” as pronounced by Leonardo da Vinci.

As they say “Less is More”. A phrase that is often associated with the architect and furniture designer Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, one of the founders of modern architecture and a proponent of the simplicity of style.

Today, there is a growing movement advocating for simpler and minimalist approach to design and solutions.

An example of simple design innovations is the Apple iPhone and iPod…… How did they epitomise the simple?

2. Pushing the Envelope.

The second cardinal value is “pushing the envelope”.

The phrase “pushing the envelope” originally came from the aviation field. 

It is a reference to the flyable portion of the atmosphere that envelopes the earth. Pilots would push the envelope when they were testing the speed or elevation limits of new aircrafts. (Wikipedia)

Indeed, it is now a common phrase used in many other industries meaning “to go beyond the usual or normal limit by doing something new”.

According to Huey Lin, the chief operating officer of Affirm (financial technology company headquartered in San Francisco); some of their most important values at Affirm include ”the champion” and ”challenge” principles.

At Affirm, the challenge principle states that, as soon as their engineers come up with a brilliant idea, they are challenged to come up further new ideas that either bring the cost down or create revolutionary ideas.

Next is the Affirm champion principle, which fundamentally encourages their teams to find new ways of doing things every day.

Another great example is at Amazon, where they have the ”day one(1)” innovation norm, where every employee is supposed to pioneer and invent to satisfy the customer asap because acting as a start up would, means quickly finding solutions to problems and staying on your toes. Failure to act and be a day 1, places you on day two(2), where you become late and second place to the leaders.

Not Zero-Sum Game

According to Wikipedia, in game theory, a zero-sum game is a mathematical representation of a situation in which each participant’s gain or loss of utility is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the utility of the other participants.

If the total gains of the participants are added up and the total losses are subtracted, they will sum to zero. Thus in cutting a cake for instance, where taking a larger piece reduces the amount of cake available for others as much as it increases the amount available for that taker, is a zero-sum game if all participants acquire each unit of cake equally. A zero-sum game is also called a strictly competitive game.

An example of a modern, zero-sum game of the 21st century is between the United States of America and China on 5G technology. Below are a few examples of news headlines:

The Wall Street Journal – President Trump has said:”5G is a race that the U.S. must win”. But while American wireless carriers are leading in early deployment of the technology, some telecom-industry leaders say Beijing is poised to vault ahead in the coming months. Sep 7, 2019

The New York Times – In 5G Race With China, U.S. Pushes Allies to Fight Huawei.

The Wall Street Journal, – ”In the Race to Dominate 5G, China Sprints Ahead”

CNBC – ”Here’s how the US can beat China in the race for dominance in next-generation networks” Nov 26, 2019

The Washington Post – China launches 5G service, showing that the US won’t hold it back – 31 Oct 2019 ·

Financial Times – US-China contest centres on race for 5G domination- 18 Jun 2019 ·

In contrast, non-zero-sum describes a situation in which the interacting parties’ aggregate gains and losses can be less than or more than zero. Non-zero-sum games are non-competitive!

Humans have a cognitive bias towards a zero-sum but for innovation to flourish, it should not be view at as a zero-sum game.

Indeed, Connie Chan – general partner at Andreessen Horowitz argues that partnership should underpin the growth of innovation as US companies can learn from Chinese companies and vice versa,

For example, WeChat enabling payment in massaging, after which Whatsapp enabled WhatsApp for Business and pilot WhatsApp payment in India.

Lessons: simplicity gives clarity, and pushing the envelope engenders creativity but more importantly, a mindset shift to a Non-Zero-Sum game creates lots of opportunities. It is possible for all involved contestants to register a win. In other words, it’s possible for all  parties involved in a given situation to  benefit.

Innovation should be seen as bringing benefits and inclusion. In addition, below are some of the advantages we will gain when we  pursue innovation:

• improved productivity
• reduced cost
• increased competitiveness
• improved brand recognition and value
• new partnerships and relationships
• increased turnover
• improved profitability

Therefore, there is a need for one to perfect the value of simplicity, creativity to push the envelope and a mindset shift towards a win-win situation.

Credit

This article was written with the inspiration and content from names, mentioned above.