- Fluid Innovation Thinking™
Building on the theories of fluid intelligence, diffusion of innovation and crossing the chasm, the Fluid Innovation Thinking™ (FIT) method is aimed at the development of disruptive technical innovations. Based on over two decades of applied hands-on experience across several high-tech verticals, FIT is a unique predictive analytical approach that emphasizes continuous innovation across the development cycle.
Background
Thanks to Raymond B. Cattell we've known for decades that intelligence is split into two parts: <i>crystallized intelligence</i>, which is what we learn from experience, and <i>fluid intelligence</i>, which is our ability to solve new problems and find solutions without prior knowledge of the problem. True intelligence can be defined by one's ability to solve novel problems without prior knowledge in addition to our tendency to learn from experience.
Cattell, Raymond. (1963). Theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence: A critical experiment. Journal of Educational Psychology.
The Diffusion of Innovation theory developed by Everett M. Rogers, demonstrates how an idea or a product gains adoption and then spreads (diffuses). The theory posits that adoption is diffused throughout five key segments of adopters and that understanding each adoptor segment is critical to every successful product innovation initiative.
Everett M. Rogers. (2003, 5th edition). Diffusion of Innovations.
In the early 1990s, Geoffrey Moore showed that the first two segments defined by Rogers (Innovators and Early Adopters) are significantly different from the ensuing three segments. Consequently, he introduced the theory of “The Chasm” which is formed between Early Adopters and the Early Majority. His concept of “Crossing The Chasm” becomes the mission - the ultimate north star - in early innovation initiatives. To succeed at a mass scale, an innovation must “cross the chasm”.
Geoffrey A. Moore. (2014, 3rd edition). Crossing the Chasm.
Fluid Trends™
In any post-chasm scenario we can rely on data analytics based on actual product usage and we can use the data to inform further decisions. We may call these “Crystallized Trends”.
Pre-chasm, where innovation is in a state of high fluidity and the product is yet to be massively adopted, we do not have troves of quantitative data at our disposal for analysis. Thus, crossing the chasm is mostly a walk in the dark, poking, probing, experimenting.
FIT introduces the concept of pre-chasm patterns of adoption called “Fluid Trends”. These are potentially crystallizing trends that may or may not gain adoption (“get crystallized”). They represent informed decisions leveraging our inherent Fluid Intelligence to recognize patterns and use abstract logic to identify and discover potential paths towards adoption. Identifying and discovering these Fluid Trends early on is the first state of a FIT-driven innovation initiative.
Craft Fluid Stories
Stories shape our thinking and stories have the power to unleash our inherent Fluid Intelligence. We make use of our fluid intelligence to reason, analyze, and solve problems, without relying on any pre-existing knowledge. Instead, we employ logic, recognize patterns, and apply abstract thinking to solve new problems.
Fluid stories act as the backbone of an initiative, forming an ongoing, adaptive (fluid) operational blueprint that informs decision making. The initial Fluid Trends collected are infused into the Fluid Stories and keep each story laser focused on the needs of the stakeholders (the story's protagonists, or heroes) as they engage with the relevant trends.
The vision and mission are continuously updated along with the stories' protagonists. The Fluid Stories describe foundational concepts that define the innovation and answer key questions about whom the innovation serves, why, and how it serves that particular stakeholder.
Map Fluid Journeys
Fluid Stories become Fluid Journeys when they are crafted from the perspective of the protagonist, in other words, from the point of view of the stakeholder. This focal character in the story must undergo a transformation journey through a continuous flow of choices and information, which, in turn, lead towards a continous (fluid) transformation.
A high level map emerges, highlighting the stories that intertwine across the business domain. Keeping in mind that the stories all center on the people who remain the primary focus of the entire innovation effort, the journey mapping is aimed at helping them accomplish their transformational goals.
The mapped journeys outline the main challenges blocking the protagonist(s) from growing and achieving their transformational goals as they navigate the fluid trends (adjacent to the innovative product under development). The journey map proposes solutions to existing challenges and allows the innovation team to remain close to stakeholders throughout their transformation, all the while analyzing behavioural trends and delivering continuous value with every release.
Fluid Delivery
The innovation team; the right people, in the right roles, with the right operational structure in place, are responsible for accompanying the story's protagonist(s) on their transformational journeys. The team remains in a state of discovery and pattern recognition, simultaneously managing both the emerging market dynamics and stakeholder progress on their respective journeys.
The delivery team adjusts their objectives based on the information and the insights they collect, focusing their delivery on small, targeted release cycles. The ultimate purpose is to deliver constant value which is always concentrated on their stakeholders' journey within the context of the pre-chasm trend(s).
The deliverables are the tangible elements of the innovation that are produced, used and sold. They cut across different technologies, domains and areas of expertise. A successful delivery can be characterized by the sum of the moving pieces joining together to deliver seamless experiences, abstracting the techonology and bringing the benefits to the forefront.