The Art of Unlearning the Old and Learning the New

Garry’s observation about the relationship between Simplexity Thinking and Design Thinking led me to consider other ways the innovation process could be described. 

Some time ago, I spent a weekend learning from famous psychologist William J.J.Gordon in Boston. He suggested that inventing and learning are opposite forces which feed each other in turn Inventing is characterized as a process of breaking old connections.

He characterized inventing as a process of “making the familiar strange”. This permits us to view old phenomena in new ways, although this can be uncomfortable at first. He said that, in contrast when we learn, we “make the strange familiar”. This permits us to view new phenomena invented more comfortably.

In Simplexity we are continually Generating (finding new problems) and Conceptualizing (defining them in new breakthrough ways leading to brand new ideas). This can be uncomfortable for many people who prefer the second half of Simplexity. Here we move in to Optimization (making brand new ideas practical and planning) then entering the Implementation stage (gaining acceptance and taking the plunge into action).