The Intuitive Mathematics of Innovation

INNOVATION: DECONSTRUCTED

The word “innovation” is always thrown around in the business and political world, but I never felt like the concept itself was given enough attention.

What exactly is innovation?

It seems to be this elusive concept that is always “needed” but rarely materializes and is profitable. It’s a concept that is held on a pedestal yet always put on the back burner.

So I decided to channel the “Think Different” advertising slogan from Apple used from 1997 to 2000 and began to...well...think different. With a background in technology, data science, and mathematics, my thinking patterns revolve around deconstruction and analysis, using mathematical patterns to explain the intangible. I decided to stick to what I know and apply this way of thinking to innovation.

How could I break down the concept of innovation into manageable subsets?

If I could break down innovation into its core components and study its parts, then maybe I could understand how to accelerate the overall innovation process.

But so what, right? Why would we want to accelerate the innovation process?

Well, my opinion is that innovation is the key to health and longevity - in our businesses, in our relationships, in our art, in our world. It’s not just a business or product term, innovation is a concept that should be applied to all areas of our lives.

During my innovation deconstruction study, in true research form, I pulled data from various places, this time fusing both traditional and non-traditional knowledge banks.

The first knowledge bank I pulled from was the scientific study of neuroscience. I had done a lot of work studying neuroscience and how it mimicked the AI solutions I was developing in my education and tech career.
The second knowledge bank I pulled from was the art of improvisation. I had attended a year long improv program at The Second City in Chicago, a famous comedy and improv house.
The third knowledge base I pulled from was the art of tarot. I had done a lot of spiritual exploration work and found real connections to “mystical” planes (although I hate the connotations of the word “mystical”).

So, in summary, I combined art, science, and spirit and applied my findings to the concept of innovation.

The result of my innovation deconstruction work resulted in a structure what I call: The 3 C’s.

The 3 C’s are:

Components
Chips
Clicks

Components are the core building blocks of innovation.

The 5 Innovation Components are listed below:

Medium
Dominance
Thinking
Jolt
Tense

Components have Chips. Chips have Clicks. Component —> Chip —> Click

While all of the Components have Chips, not all of them have Clicks. The Medium and Jolt Components are the only ones that have Clicks.

All Components have Chips.
Not all Components have Clicks.
Clicks cannot exist without Chips.

Example:

Medium —> Chip —> Click
Dominance —> Chip
Thinking —> Chip
Jolt —> Chip —> Click
Tense —> Chip

Let’s dive into each Innovation Component and explore them further to show how they contribute to the overall concept.

THE MEDIUM COMPONENT

Medium is the tangible or intangible vehicle through which innovation and thinking patterns can be expressed. The word “medium” is a familiar term in the art world and also has some spiritual connotations. It is the most important Component of the innovation deconstruction because it is how the intangible manifests into what we currently deem as reality. It’s important because the same innovative idea can be expressed through a variety of different Medium Chips and have a wide variety of results. This, for example, becomes a familiar concept in the marketing and advertising world when a decision has to be made to choose to run an ad on TV vs radio vs web and so on. So while each pocket of society and industry can recognize their own familiar Medium Chips (discussed further later), the Medium Component as it applies to innovation is a term that covers modes of expression across all of the Medium Chips.

Sometimes innovation occurs within the Medium Component itself. In other words, sometimes the rest of the Components are used to innovate new Medium Chips (rare) and Clicks (more often).

Rarely Occurs

Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> New Medium Chip

Occurs More Often

Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> New Medium Click

Let’s take two examples of Medium Chips - Sculpture and Film. Sculpture is a Medium Chip that has been around since the beginning of humanity, such as shaping arrowheads for a hunt, but in the past 120 years the Film Medium Chip was invented. So we can use the other 4 Components to innovate and lead to a new Medium Chip, but the invention of a new Medium Chip is rare.

Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Sculpture
Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Film

On the other hand, Medium Clicks can be invented more often like the tiny home or podcast. The Tiny Home Medium Click would belong to the the Architecture Medium Chip, but so would the Teepee and Cabin Medium Clicks.

Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Architecture > Tiny Home
Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Architecture > Teepee
Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Architecture > Cabin

The Podcast Medium Click would belong to the Sound Medium Chip, but so would Music and Radio Medium Clicks.

Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Sound > Podcast
Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Sound > Music
Dominance + Thinking + Jolt + Tense —> Sound > Radio

So we can use the other 4 Components to innovate and lead to a new Medium Clicks, but the invention of a new Medium Click happens more often than the invention of a new Medium Chip.

So for now, we have an initial compilation of Medium Chips and example Clicks. The list will continue to be compiled and will continue to grow as time moves on.

The original core Medium Chips and example Clicks are below and will give a solid baseline for the overall Medium Component with the understanding that it is a living list.

Medium Component

Architecture Chip
- Clicks: Cabin, Tiny Home, etc.…
Business Chip
- Clicks: Restaurant, Agency, etc.…
Ceramics Chip
- Clicks: Plate, Mug, etc.…
Conversation Chip
- Clicks: Speech, Romantic Date, Text Message, etc.…
Drawing Chip
- Clicks: Doodle, Figure, etc.…
Digital Chip
- Clicks: App, Website, Social Media, etc.…
Film Chip
- Clicks: Television, Movie, YouTube Video, etc.…
Food & Beverage Chip
- Clicks: Pie, Craft Beer, etc.…
Glass Chip
- Clicks: Stained Glass, Mirror, etc.…
Installation Chip
- Clicks: Playground, Reconstructed Dinosaur Bones, etc.…
Light Chip
- Clicks: Fireworks, EDM Show, etc.…
Literature Chip
- Clicks: Blog, Novel, Magazine, etc.…
Natural World Chip
- Clicks: Walking Trail, Clouds, etc.…
Painting Chip
- Clicks: Oil, Watercolor, Splatter, etc.…
Performance Art Chip
- Clicks: Ballet, Sketch Comedy, etc.…
Photography Chip
- Clicks: Portraits, Landscape, Journalism, etc.…
Printmaking Chip
- Clicks: T-Shirts, Collage Art, etc.…
Sculpture Chip
- Clicks: Stone, Plastic, Game Pieces, etc.…
Sound Chip
- Clicks: Podcast, Music, etc.…
Technical Chip
- Clicks: Smart Phones, Sensors, etc.…
Textile Chip
- Clicks: Fashion, Wallpaper, etc.…

THE DOMINANCE COMPONENT

The Dominance Component refers to the number and ratio of Thinking Chips involved in the overall innovation process. It is directly tied to the Thinking Component and stems from the combinations of neural chemical reactions that are foundation to neuroscience. The ratios are simplified down to Single, Double, Triple, and Quadruple dominance.

Dominance Component = Ratio of Thinking Chips

The complexity of the innovation process increases as the Dominance Chips scale up from single to quadruple. Depending on the Dominance Chip used, it will result in different outcomes expressed through the Medium Component.

When we use Single Dominance, we tap into the maximum power of a single thinking pattern.

Example: If Thinking Chip = Abstract Thinking, then Dominance = Single Dominance

When we use Double Dominance, we identify the balance of power and strength between two different thinking patterns.

Example: If Thinking Chip = Abstract Thinking + Agile Thinking, then Dominance = Double Dominance

When we use Triple Dominance, we identify the balance of power and strength between three different thinking patterns.

Example: If Thinking Chip = Abstract Thinking + Agile Thinking + Color Thinking, then Dominance = Triple Dominance

When we use Quadruple Dominance, we identify the balance of power and strength between four different thinking patterns.

Example: If Thinking Chip = Abstract Thinking + Agile Thinking + Color Thinking + Avoidance Thinking, then Dominance = Quadruple Dominance

Although the Dominance Component has been simplified, the combinations and application to the large number of thinking patterns creates the ability to produce an enormous amount of complexity and uniqueness.

Dominance Component

Single Dominance Chip
Double Dominance Chip
Triple Dominance Chip
Quadruple Dominance Chip

THE THINKING COMPONENT

The Thinking Component is the largest and most diverse Component of the innovation deconstruction. While the concept is simple, the various Thinking Chips are simply different types of thinking patterns, the complexity to catalog and be aware of how to program your neurotransmitters to follow these patterns is high. Bringing intentional consciousness to how your brain sends and connects electric signals to form ideas and thoughts, is the heart and soul of how innovation takes place. It is rooted in science.

Culture, socioeconomic level, education, personal experiences, relationships, and overall life story directly put favorability on specific types of thinking patterns. So if we try to implement new thinking patterns that, in turn, create new neural pathways in our brain, it takes work because we are literally creating new chemical combinations and outcomes that we need to get used to. It may sound like “magic” or simply “learning”, and to some it is, but it really comes down to the science of chemistry and biology.

Keeping a catalog of Thinking Chips must be a collective effort and intentional work since no one human will generate all the possible Thinking Chips on their own. This is why diversity and the pursuit of knowledge in various industries is so important as found during the discovery and materialization of this Component. Knowing and understanding the origin of a Thinking Chip, grasping the key highlights for memorization, and practicing it, is the ultimate key to succeed in utilizing this Component.

A single Thinking Chip may also be a combination of Chips.

Or in other words, 2 or more Thinking Chips may equal 1 Thinking Chip. This type of Thinking Chip may be more widely known as a “system”.

When we tie the overall Thinking Component back to the Dominance Component, we must first become experts in the Single Dominance Thinking Chip and how to work with it, before we can or should graduate to the Double, Triple, and Quadruple Dominance Chips.

In addition, the Thinking Component itself cannot exist without the Jolt Component.

While by no means is it a complete list, the first edition of Thinking Chips can be found below and include some of the most basic forms. This catalog is a living list that will ultimately be multiple lifetimes worth of work.

Thinking Chips cannot be invented, only discovered, for they are, at the end of the day, different energy routes between points already present in the Universe and in our brains.

Thinking Component

Abstract Thinking Chip
Adaptation Thinking Chip
Agile Thinking Chip
Analytical Thinking Chip
Aspirational Thinking Chip
Avoidance Thinking Chip
Biomimetic Thinking Chip
Bloom Thinking Chip
Boundary Thinking Chip
Chronosystems Thinking Chip
Chunk Thinking Chip
Color Thinking Chip
Compassion Thinking Chip
Concrete Thinking Chip
Convergent Thinking Chip
Creative Thinking Chip
Critical Thinking Chip
Deep Thinking Chip
Design Thinking Chip
Divergent Thinking Chip
Diversity Thinking Chip
Ecosystems Thinking Chip
Empathy Thinking Chip
Expectant Thinking Chip
Feedback Loop Thinking Chip
Goal Thinking Chip
Green Thinking Chip
Holistic Thinking Chip
Homeostasis Thinking Chip
Hyper Thinking Chip
Improvisational Thinking Chip
Lean Thinking Chip
Logical Thinking Chip
Machine Thinking Chip
Macrosystems Thinking Chip
Mesosystems Thinking Chip
Microsystems Thinking Chip
Mind Map Thinking Chip
Non-Directed Thinking Chip
Opposite Thinking Chip
Pathological Thinking Chip
Practical Thinking Chip
Preference Thinking Chip
Programmatic Thinking Chip
Psychological Thinking Chip
Reciprocal Transaction Thinking Chip
Reflective Thinking Chip
Sequential Thinking Chip
Simple Thinking Chip
Six Hats Thinking Chip
Statistical Thinking Chip
Strategic Thinking Chip
Sustainability Thinking Chip
Synthetic Thinking Chip
Systems Thinking Chip
Throughput Thinking Chip

THE JOLT COMPONENT

The Jolt Component is the fuel for the Thinking component and cannot exist (as we know it) without the Medium Component. The Jolt Component can standalone but does not hold much value unless it connects to the Thinking and Medium Components. It was discovered after examining improvisation as an art in both audible and written form.

The Jolt Component has two Chips:

Word
Frequency

Words and Frequencies are how we “jolt” or fuel the Thinking Component which are then expressed through the Medium Component.

The Word Chip is just a seemingly random written word in a person’s respective language. A word is just a word until the Thinking and Medium Components give it meaning. Words themselves are in fact energy frequencies able to be articulated within human comprehension expressed through the Sound Medium Chip and Speaking Medium Click as well as Literature Medium Chip and Writing Medium Click. So Word is a more tangible form or body of a combination of frequencies - think of something like Morse Code.

The Frequency Chip is the foundational energy signals of the Universe. For our purposes, a Frequency Chip is a tone + 440 Hz sine wave expressed through the Sound Medium Chip. Every Word in existence is a Jolt Click and the base tones audible to the human ear make up the Frequency Clicks.

The Jolt Chips and example Clicks are listed below. The Clicks are randomly generated when used in the innovation process.

Jolt Component

Word Chip
- Clicks: Africa, supercalifredjalisticexpeealadotious, banana
Frequency Chip
- Clicks: F# - 440 Hz, C5 - 440 Hz

THE TENSE COMPONENT

The Tense component accounts for time and/or direction in the innovation process. If translated into mathematical terms, it can be described as a vector as opposed to a line segment.

The Tense Component has 3 Chips that are fixed and no Clicks.

This Component serves as a guide for the rest of the four Components mostly by giving direction to the Thinking Component. It acts similar to the Jolt Component, but serves more as a way to frame or bring context to the Thinking component. It can also have influence on the Medium Component.

Tense Component

Past Chip
Present Chip
Future Chip

REFLECTION

After working through this deconstruction, we now have a blueprint for the innovation process that directly correlates with the subject of creativity. After finding that each Component, Chip, and Click is a variable in the innovation process, while the Components are fixed, we can easily replace any Chip or Click that may be more suitable for the immediate purposes.

I plan to work on a final Innovation Equation to see how I can further the application of mathematics to the concept of innovation.