Annual Letter

January 1, 2010

Dear Friends,

Over the past several years, we have been thinking a lot about the concept of innovation. We have explored innovative practices and processes and investigated the systems needed to support innovation within organizations.

In 2009, we focused our learning on “innovation and the brain.” We sought to better understand how the functioning of the brain fostered or hindered innovation, and to translate the tools and insights we learned from the field of neuroscience into the field of management.

We read books like The Brain That Changes Itself  by Norman Doidge, watched videos on “brain fitness,” and met with colleagues including Dr. Angelo Bolea, a neuorpsychologist whose work focuses on leadership development and the brain, and Andrea Schara, who is using neuro-feedback to help executives achieve peak performance.

As a result of our readings and meetings, we expanded the scope of our inquiry and began thinking more broadly about how the functioning of the brain – the process of how we learn, develop and adapt – supports or impedes individual and organizational change.

A quick, but obvious, disclaimer: we are organizational consultants, not neuroscientists.  That said, we immediately saw opportunities to apply the lessons of neuroscience to our work in organizations and in our interactions with our clients. Here are some highlights of what we learned:

• The brain can adapt, develop, and alter its neuro-pathways throughout life. Contrary to what most of us learned in school, recent science has demonstrated that the brain is “plastic,” that is changeable, rather than hardwired.  You can teach an old dog new tricks, but it takes effort and regular reinforcement.  

• We have all heard the expression that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but few of us recognize the science behind it. The brain can process images much more quickly and efficiently than words and letters.  In fact, the part of the “left brain” that processes verbal and numeric functions, can only hold four words at a time. Can you communicate your message in just four words?  If not, start painting a picture. 

• The inner brain (amygdala, hippocampus and basal ganglia) is the part of the brain that holds memory, controls movement, and triggers the fear response (flight or fight).  Due to this response, our first neurological reaction to any new stimuli is negative – and this reaction can last from mere nanoseconds to as long as 90 seconds. The fear response is so powerful that it can produce physiological reactions – from a powerful endorphin rush to paralyzing fear.   How the individual navigates this reaction has significant implications for the ultimate success or failure of a new concept. Our experience has shown that similar reactions occur at the organizational level as well.

So the question for us – and for organizational leaders – becomes: “How can we use this knowledge to more effectively support organizational change?”