After years of studying innovation, we’ve found that there’s great power in bringing together people who work in fields that are different from one another yet analogous on a deep structural level.
For example, more than a decade ago, 3M developed a breakthrough concept for preventing surgery-related infections after getting input from a theatrical-makeup specialist who was knowledgeable about preventing facial skin infections. Also, a company that needed a solution for tracking inventory and borrowed ideas from the sensors on miniature robot-soccer players.
When you’re working on a problem and you pool insights from analogous areas, you’re likely to get significantly greater novelty in the proposed solutions for two reasons: People can draw on different pools of knowledge, and they’re not mentally constrained by existing, “known” solutions to the problem in the target field.
For example, in a recent study we recruited hundreds of roofers, carpenters and inline skaters to examine their reluctance to use safety gear because of discomfort.
In standardized interviews, we asked how roofers’ safety belts, carpenters’ respirator masks and skaters’ knee pads could be redesigned to increase their comfort and use. A panel of experts evaluated the suggestions on novelty and usefulness.
Each group was significantly better at thinking of novel solutions for the other fields than for its own.
We’re often asked how businesses can find appropriately analogous fields to tap ideas and expertise.
First, carve out the deep-structure elements of your problem. What is its essence? Describe it in such a way that potential solvers from analogous markets can connect their knowledge to it.
Then, consider applying effective search methods to identify distant knowledge sources. Pyramiding involves sequentially asking for referrals until you reach the top of a knowledge pyramid; broadcast search refers to widely disseminating a problem to activate self-selection among problem solvers.
Next, we suggest that managers select analogous fields that are marked by greater technological advancement or higher stakes than the target problem’s field. Look for thinkers who display high levels of personal creativity, or those whose leading-edge needs drive them to solve similar problems in their own areas.
An important caveat: We find that analogous-field solutions for all but the very best ideas show lower immediate usefulness. Presumably that’s because the problem solvers lack familiarity with the context of the target problem. To overcome this drawback, let analogous-field thinkers interact with problem solvers from the target market. Also, be clear about your goals: Are you looking for radical solutions or is the emphasis on practicality?
Next time you face an innovation problem, consider looking for creative people who, although they know little of your field, may be more likely to come up with breakthrough thinking; indeed, they may have the solution you’ve been searching for all along.
Marion Poetz is an associate professor at Copenhagen Business School’s Department of Innovation and Organizational Economics. Martin Schreier is a professor and the head of the Institute for Marketing Management at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Nikolaus Franke is a professor and the director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Marion Poetz, Nikolaus Franke & Martin Schreier