Innovation To Enable Collaboration Within Diverse And Divergent Communities

The world is a lot different today than it was in the past. Perhaps it was the invention of the microchip or perhaps it was the advent of mass media communication, people in general are expected to behave and think in ways that are repeatable and predictable. Our systems are created to a regime that suits the goal of its leadership and the people within it are expected to behave in the way provided. Deviation from the routine is often seen as detrimental to the process and with today’s methods and perspectives, it’s often true. Because of this homogenisation of the social construct across the planet, the subtle differences between us are not only more apparent, they are also more problematic. In a system designed for narrow and controlled and therefore most productive action, of course the people who don’t thrive in this kind of order don’t thrive at all.  
 
We are all different and the ways we do things are increasingly more the same. Compatibility across society is better than ever because everything is connected and leads on to its counterparts in the big picture. This has created a specific and guided routine that citizens must follow to get the most out of their lives. In this scenario it becomes ever more obvious than some of us are not best designed or set up to be of benefit to this kind of system. The system is not designed or set up to be of benefit to them, either. This is a problem that has become significant in several social, financial, and political levels of decision- making. Our system was designed for an industrial world, our systems of attainment are based on the same steps taken by the Victorian middle classes when it was the factory and the mill that made you wealthy and prosperous.  
 
This is the 21st Century; the factory and the mill are nearly completely automated. The homogenisation of industry was possibly the first aspect of society to be made uniform since the religious upheavals of the middle-ages. Suddenly everyone involved was expected to repeat themselves all day with very little room for intuition and initiative. It was just a matter of making the machine work. Now even this is automated and it’s usually a matter of computer input somewhere in another room. Is it any wonder that our innate character differences are amplified and problematic when we’re all expected to think in the same way? This global automation of craft and manufacture has somewhat shut out the sunlight on the diverse and divergent aspects of the population.  
 
In a way, the problems we face today are a real-life example of why human beings are not always a font of wisdom. Our seemingly good ideas are not always as good as they may appear. It takes a diverse and divergent set of minds to truly test out whether something that feels and looks good on the front is the same all the way to the back. We’ve done our best, and although there is the occasional evil genius who doesn’t care, most of humanity has valiantly strived to make a better, fairer, and easier world. The capitalisation of the ideas that make the most in regards to investment return has been the main cause of the narrowing problem. People who don’t naturally grow in the narrow path are not the problem; the path is too narrow. One the main quests for innovative culture in today’s modern world is to expand the path to allow more of us to make the most of who we really are. It will result in much less depression as we can be truer to ourselves and much less stress as we’re not forced to behave in strange and sometimes unnatural ways.  
 
Having the ability to identify the harm or the pain-point in any situation is a valuable skill. Executing the process of litigating the response is another. It’s not easy to fix problems with the tools that created it and it’s often that we have to think of novel and inventive ways to manage the real-life problem situation that’s so-far caused by necessary action. In the scope of necessary action, is it the outcome we are looking for. The process of getting there is less important. Being aware of this provides fuel to the methodology of creativity and provides reasons to look beyond the conventional in order to bridge the gap.  Innovation is always a team effort, we can have a good eye for problems and an inventive character, but getting something into the world as a valuable instrument of change and empowerment takes more than one person. It takes a community.  
 
Our post-industrial setting has shown us that our humanity is valuable for our differences and imagination. The heavy lifting, the repetitive actions, the intricate handiwork, it’s all taken care of. We don’t have value for our ability to do those things like we used to. It’s our thinking power and our decision making that gives us the edge. The modern world makes use of information networks and knowledge silos in order to make the most effective decisions. We, as people, can be sources of information and carriers of information to varying degrees and in doing so, add value to the systems. Identifying the value and placing it in the correct market is also a valuable skill. We can hold, communicate, arrange, and create information in ways that are unique and valuable to open-minded and interested systems.  
 
Using the available information with the resources given can be a difficult task. It’s clear that the value must be extracted and purified in a way that benefits the whole system so that the pain-points are always avoided. It’s not a simple matter of adding a few ingredients, everything has to be done according to the way preferred by all parties. Creating new stories and presentations for the information can help others to find new ways of using it and to identify new problems and anomalies that can be addressed, studied, and solved as necessary. The more diverse thinking and new perspectives offered to work with the available information, the more scope and thinking power the rest of us have to progress the whole picture in our own way.  
 
Invention and innovation spur from the process of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. It’s a repeating cycle that is maintained by the constant shifts in the wider world and the changing habits and needs of the people involved, both in the production, service, and use of the procedure or product. Collaboration can be self-guided in which we research what others have had to say and what others have already tried, or it can be group guided in which we draw in real people to work in real time with the feedback and idea forming process. A collection of both styles of collaboration is likely to be the most effective, provided you can rely on the genuine basis of what you’re told.  
 
Where people differ in views and versions of what is best for themselves and others, the creative aspect of problem-solving can be applied. Making a path that leads in both directions without leaving the field is an important part of managing diversity and difference. Rather than magnifying situations by forcing adaptation and aesthetic, it’s clear we need to make room for all types and all emotional states before we can successfully benefit them and create cohesion for the future. Critical thinking, communication, cultural understanding, and creative thinking, are all necessary skills for the modern-day as many more jobs are automated each year. Playing a vital role in this network of machinery and technology is about becoming a kind of spider, connected to it all with one mind in the centre giving it purpose. Our webs and networks connect with those of others and that’s where we have to learn to put things together. How do spiders do it? They often build their webs on something stable, like a wall, and it gives the appearance of a blanket. That stable element is our human motivation and desire for positive change.  
 
A passionate person is a motivated person, they think about their subject, they study it, they create new ways of looking at the world through the eyes of their subject, and they can go on to invent new ways of putting it into action. In the past, we were often on the edge of hunger and exposure. In these extreme situations, our minds become more attuned to possibility and inventive ideas. Having the ability to nurture this same psychology in today’s comfortable world is a genuine challenge. Being in the position where you don’t need to think of a new thing because life’s pretty good, then you’re not always the one to do the work. If you are truly passionate about the problems of other people then it might tip the balance. If finding the answer to your own problems is just as important as finding the solution to the problems of others then the motivation might be a lot higher.  
 
For those of us who thrive in problem solving environments where our ability to discover and think up new ways to get things as they should be, it can be difficult to co-exist with a society which wants to give everything to us and have someone there to pick up the loose ends. Some of us are not mentally suited to being domesticated to this degree and need something else to stimulate their mind and to give them a sense of purpose and meaning. Rather than turning to drugs, which can provide the illusion of these things, becoming a creative person with a desire to make a living from it when you’re not in a position to sustain it indefinitely is possibly the most empowered place to work from.  
 
Calm and persistent growth in the directions governed by ethic and feedback can be extremely useful in giving a person a sense of being and purpose as well as creating social cohesion, solving problems, and building communities. Innovation that enables others to become better at their chosen activities and give them easier ways to complete the necessary ones is how we create great social cohesion and more value for the community. Enabling others to produce, contribute, think, experience and report on all kinds of available activities and thought process to enrich and qualitatively build on the available foundation. The more sense we can make from the world, the more we can understand other people and their perspectives, the better place we will be in to prevent social and political catastrophe.  
 
Communication and effective story-telling are therefore vital in the process of transmitting information from one set of people to another. The way that different cultures and sets of professionals view various parts of society can differ greatly and before using these as cues to think and feel a certain way, we need to know what they are associated with to them. We can imagine ourselves in their shoes and test to see if something is unfriendly or unkind and we can learn about their background and their group psychology to appreciate the red areas we should avoid or be tactful with. The ability to do this well and to an acceptable level of value is based on our ability to imagine, feel, and empathise. These are human powers and are based on the nervous system. This bodily organ, when working properly, is sensitive to all kinds of problem in the manner of a fear or stress response. What working properly means for the nervous system is when it’s not causing a problem unnecessarily. Obviously, having a nervous system that is not working properly is a traumatic, and sometimes humiliating experience.  
 
Critical thinking is not just about finding problems out there in the world that we think we can solve. It’s about looking within and critically assessing our own thoughts and even emotions. Now, we can't control our emotions but we can control how we respond to them. I’m sure most of you have felt angry before but how many of you went out and did something about it? Doing something about the cause of the anger is something else and involves examination of the emotion and process of being triggered to explore the root cause. This can then be calmly addressed, creatively if necessary. It’s often just a matter of identifying an immature or unhelpful thought buried within the grown-up and solid thinking we rely on and usually have. We can apply criticism to all manner of things, both inward and outward. Once we have identified the problem, we must be able to at least try to see a solution as well. If there is no solution, perhaps the problem is just a chore. Will you quit and stop experimenting? Are you too comfortable?  
 
Problem solving requires an in-depth and consistent effort to learn about the whole situation. This means we need to account for perspectives and concepts that might sound alien or counter-intuitive to ourselves. Having an open mind and an imaginative area we can play out this information within is imperative to holistic appreciation. Learning about the technical and social side of the situation gives us the best perspective to solve the problem and act upon it with progressive ideas. Collaboration is vital as these systems count for people who require stability and psychological safety. By taking charge of old wisdom and new ideas, we can combine the two and form a working solution to the modern issues and boundaries that prevent us from thriving in our own way.  
 
Further reading: Empire of Normality- Neurodiversity and Capitalism 

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