The Innovator & Imaginational Thought
“A picture is worth ten thousand words.”
Albert Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge” because knowledge is inherently limited, and imagination is potentially unlimited. It’s this unlimited nature of imagination that allows the discovery of new ideas.
In order to better understand the physical world, Einstein used thought experiments where he freely imagined the universe while keeping within the parameters of a plan.
An example is the imaginational thinking he used to develop an important theory called The Principle of Equivalence of Gravitation and Inertia. In this thought experiment he imagined an unconnected elevator falling freely from a great height over the planet Earth. Inside the elevator, he imagined scientists performing various experiments.
In one experiment, the scientists take common objects from their pockets and release them. Rather than dropping to the floor the objects float as if there’s no gravity. The scientists try to jump up and down but when they jump up they just float inside the elevator. Even though they are in the gravitational field of Earth, paradoxically, it seems as if gravity has been suspended.
Next, Einstein imagines the same elevator deep in space and far removed from the gravitational field of Earth. This time the elevator has a cable attached to the top of it pulling at a constant rate of acceleration.
Again a paradox appears. When the scientists drop objects from their pockets the objects fall as if in a gravitational field, and when the scientists jump up they fall back to the floor of the elevator. It seems exactly as if they are in the gravitational field of Earth.
Using imaginational thought, Einstein was able to create new and useful ideas by combining unlimited imagination with a plan.
Confucius (551 to 479 B.C.E.) said “a picture is worth ten thousand words.” Just one image is equal to ten thousand words. In one sense, thinking in imagery is like a high speed use of words uninhibited by the structure of language.
This also makes it easier to analyze ideas holistically; understanding, seeing, and making intelligent relationships within the whole. The other obvious benefit is you can try ideas freely, without restriction; if something goes against the normal rules of economics, no problem. If a problem requires enormous financial or physical commitments or commitments of time; no problem.
You can re-conceptualize every idea in your business in the “mind’s eye.”
You can use imagery in unlimited ways such as building prototype products or services, performing experimental processes, or imagining what it would be like to remove your company’s main obstacle, or operating with unlimited resources, or unlimited various operational scenarios.
Every one has used fantasy thinking and imagination, however, a key feature for effective imaginational thought is to have a definitive plan. Free of normal constraints, you might just find you are able to accomplish something you thought would be difficult or even… impossible.
This type of thinking can also be used in group “brainstorming sessions” in the same way (the key feature of brainstorming is reserved judgment; get the ideas and look at them another time before rejecting any idea). Group sessions must use a leader keeping the group within the parameters of the defined plan.
Too much emphasis is made on action over thinking. There’s an anecdotal story about Henry Ford and an efficiency expert hired to analyze operations at Ford’s auto manufacturing facilities. After a complete review the man came to Ford to make his report and recommend several changes.
His most emphatic recommendation was to fire the man in the office a few doors down from Ford. “Why?” asked Mr. Ford. “Well” the expert answered, “every time I go past that guy’s door he’s always sitting with his feet up on his desk just staring off into space, totally wasting your time.”
Ford shot back, “Leave that man alone! He’s been in that exact position many times when he’s saved me millions of dollars!”
Speed is highly desirable.
The world is now divided into the fast and the slow, asserts the author of Future Shock, Alvin Toffler.
New ideas must be efficiently and systematically created in sufficient quantities to produce a lot of fair ideas, some really good ideas, and maybe some that challenge the status quo; original, ingenious, disruptive and even bizarre and unfamiliar.
Whereas, in the past the greatest power went to those with the greatest amount of knowledge, in the new model, imagination, creativity and innovation are the new power factors in a world constantly changing.
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