How can we cope with the slow process of innovating while identifying the possibilities that lie ahead?
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We all wish to see quick results when striving to improve and come up with new ideas. However, after collaborating with numerous organizational cultures over the years, we've realized that this is not always the case. The process of improvement and ideation often takes longer than we anticipate.
Let's say we're looking at a chessboard. When we talk about innovation, we often want to be like the Queen piece. The Queen can move in almost any direction, to various squares. We want to be able to skip over points A, B and C, and jump straight to point D.
We like to think of innovation more like the King piece. Capable of moving square by square on each turn but with various possible paths around it. Depending on these paths, the play will unfold. In this case, innovation.
Buthow can we cope with the slow process of innovating while identifying the possibilities that arise?
The theory applied to innovation
The term "Adjacent Possible" was coined in 2002 by the American biologist Stuart Kauffman. In his theory, he proposed that any biological system can transform into a more complex system through small changes in its composition, requiring relatively less energy consumption.
When applied to innovation, the concept Adjacent Possible means that expansion and development occur gradually, taking advantage of possibilities that are adjacent to a central idea or concept, leading to the evolution of new products, technologies, processes, or conversations that pave the way for a new evolutionary step. It's like entering a room where we will find new doors to other rooms.
Within this principle, there is also the "Remote Possible". Situations where there are no technologies or opportunities that bring us closer to the idea we want to achieve. In this case, it is crucial to consider time as a key factor.
Understanding how the Adjacent Possible works gives us an idea of how innovation develops. It can even help us think about our current situation and explore various paths to reach a goal.
When Mark Zuckerberg created the music recommendation program "Synapse" in his university dormitory, he never imagined creating "Facebook". Let alone his virtual reality project "Meta."
And even if he had imagined it, the technology of the early 2000s made it a "remote possible." It was a journeyof continuous progress, where the company seized the opportunities and utilized the latest advancements to move towards the most viable adjacent possible.
Identifying a Possible Adjacent and Remote Possible is like trying to predict the future. But as Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke would say:
"Predicting the future is simple, timing is complicated."
Innovation finds its way.
You may be familiar with instances in which different individuals, without any communication, simultaneously made a discovery or invented something. This is the case of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, who independently developed the theory of evolution by natural selection and presented their ideas jointly at the Linnean Society of London in 1858. Or when Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray filed patent applications for the telephone on the same day, February 14, 1876.
When we seek to innovate following the logic of the Adjacent Possible, one thing is clear: If a certain invention still needs to be created it's only a matter of time before someone else comes up with it. In most industries, specialists are adept at spotting patterns in the development of new technology.
It's interesting how this transforms into teamwork without even realizing it. That's because the successes and mistakes of others in a given field determine the areas with potential for innovation and those without.
This concept is valuable from two points of view. On a personal level, the Adjacent Possible can help us chart a plan for personal or professional development, identifying adjacent opportunities that can bring us a little closer to a remote or momentarily unattainable goal. It can also contribute significantly to our personal motivation, planning, and patience in long development processes.
Within any company, the Adjacent Possible is also quite handy. Since innovation is a phenomenon of time and space, applied knowledge needs time to be identified and analyzed in-depth. Great creative ideas happen in spaces where people are encouraged to explore, converse, and share. Most of the time, new ideas remain dormant for a long time until they collide with others.
Thanks to the concept of Adjacent Possible, we can understand innovation as an expansive processthat mixes different points of view, conversations, influences, and time. It also underlines the importance of having diverse teams.
Returning to our chessboard, the Adjacent Possible shows us that innovation is a strategic path of patience. Not limited to a duo, this activity necessitates a varied group of individuals in an appropriate setting.
If you are interested in learning more about our innovation events, workshops, courses, or suitable workspaces for innovation, fill out this form, and we will get in touch.
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