Implicit Intelligence And Innovation

Innovation is neither science nor entrepreneurship. It is a very human desire to upgrade our existence. An inner drive to see the world differently. A relentless passion, an obsession to investigate, an urgency to create with what we have now!!!

The first products weren't the best to begin with, yet they were revolutionary. What brings about this revolution? What type of brain is open to possibility?

The fixed and growth mindsets are fallacies, lacking biological basis. These ideologies are coping mechanisms to deal with change - two ends of the same spectrum.

Carol Dweck on Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

In neuroscience, intelligence can be developed one of two ways - explicitly and implicitly. The explicit is based on time. Viewing the world from the lens of past experiences. The explicit anticipates a number of possibilities and then announces an informed discussion based on the assessment.

The explicit learning comes from a computational understanding of the brain's neural networks. The computational model has a biological basis - the Hebbian rule of: neurons that fire together, wire together. The brain also has anti-hebbian learning properties which is evident in structures such as the cerebellum.

For example, in a meeting with a client, the explicit will do a background check on the client, find points of interest, things to relate to, propose a well rehearsed prospect.

The explicit has learnt the art of balancing the unforeseen with cognitive flexibility clever enough to adjust the conversation accordingly. The explicit becomes very good at what they do because they know a stradegy with predictable results.

I'd like to put forward another possibility.

Lacking an overall strategy or plan, the implicit is guided by the moment. The implicit frees the working memory of background activity - the cognitive load which sustains pre-calculated strategies and outcomes. Instead the full, undivided attention is available to this moment.

The implicit is curious about all aspects of life. The implicit knows that this is the secret to creativity. The implicit has no interest in the outcome, they are instead excited by the mystery of what will unfold.

For example, in a meeting with a client, the implicit pays deliberate attention to their presence in the moment, aware of their internal and external processes. The heightened sensitivity allows the implicit to respond intuitively, connecting with the client with genuine authenticity rather than preconceived ideas that impose mental boundaries around the conversation.

The implicit is responsive to unknown possibilities - each encounter brings unique surprises to which the client as well as they themselves are unaware of.

This is the difference between work and play. Between tradition and innovation. One drains the brain by keeping copious amounts of information in the working memory. The other enriches the brain through endless amounts of the unexpected. Organizations fear change and instability - the very source of creativity. 

An innovative brain never gravitates towards certainty - it maintains a stable state of flux. By the time the competition catches up, the innovators have already changed the playing field. Like Le Corbusier said: 

As long as man tried to fly by imitating birds,
he couldn’t succeed.

Because we deny the inevitability of the moment, we have lost touch with the implicit, almost entirely. The implicit must be remembered again...

It was there right from the very start.