Teaching Happiness and Innovation by Mike Ferry

Author:Mike Ferry [Ferry, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781631921568
Published: 2014-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Innovation

Innovation

Back in the old days of the 20th century, high school and college graduates sought jobs with big firms promising generous health care coverage, retirement plans, and other benefits. Employees knew that their companies would reward them for their hard work. Families could count on future income to pay the mortgage, plan for college, and sock away dollars for rainy days.

Fast forward to today. Even before the economic downturn of 2008, American companies were relocating to poorer countries whose workers demanded less pay. This trend was occurring as nations including China, India, and Brazil were rising. Many middle class white-collar jobs and skilled labor positions formerly held by Americans are now driving those countries forward. Over time, these growing economies will import more of our goods, which will be a good thing for everybody. At present, however, the overall employment situation in the US and other developed countries is a major challenge.

As most of us are painfully aware, good jobs are hard to find these days. Government efforts to spark recovery may work, but success is not guaranteed. We need new ideas and industries. We need to empower our kids to create them. We need to teach innovation.

Fortunately for our planet, our kids possess the engine they'll need to become more innovative. It's the brain, and as we already know, we can shape it to meet our needs. Brain plasticity, crucial in creating happiness, means that we can improve in any area of our lives. Even if we are not innately innovative, we can get better through practice.

What can we do at school and at home to equip our children with the skills of innovation? Let's start by what we mean when we say "innovation." Just as people have widely varying opinions of what happiness is, we have different perspectives with regards to defining innovation. I see innovation as something new that has a notable impact on our behavior and worldview. Innovation can refer to must-have products from the light bulb to the iPod and beyond. It can also include shifts in beliefs. Innovation can be local and modest in scope, or it can be global and wide-ranging in its impact. Innovation leads to new industries and markets as well as unique artistic and philosophical expressions.

How does innovation happen? Typically, new ways of thinking evolve slowly. "Eureka" moments, characterized by bolts of inspiration from the heavens or other sources, take place rarely, if at all. Instead, individuals and groups of people working together devise new solutions and interpretations by joining their knowledge and experiences. Innovation comes when separate elements are united in a way that forms a new combination that did not exist before. New ideas lead to more new ideas in an ever-expanding ripple effect. As Isaac Newton said, we can see a great distance if we stand on the shoulders of giants. Those who have come before us made it possible for us to create the future.

Recent literature on innovation refers to a concept known as "the adjacent possible.

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