Innovating at the Edges

Changemakers see opportunities where others see intractable problems.  If you’re not sure where to start, consider looking for opportunities for change at the edges -- leveraging intersections and initiating interdisciplinary thinking.   Pay attention to inflection points where one problem starts and another begins. Consider the blind spots of a single discipline and how intersecting with another’s perspective could generate a brand new way of seeing solutions otherwise unimaginable through a single lens.

A terrific example comes from Sweden where leading airline carrier SAS temporarily laid off 10,000 staff due to COVID-19.  Through a public-private partnership which is engaging universities, foundations, and companies, those who lost jobs are getting immediate, free training in healthcare delivery.  Changemakers creatively took two separate problems -- temporary unemployment and under-resourced hospitals -- and delivered a single solution which addresses both. By innovating at the edges, these changemakers creatively made something brand new happen -- the impact of which will be far greater than solving each problem separately.  

As you think about opportunities to be a changemaker, which edges might you explore?  Which disciplines might you bring together to turn a problem into an opportunity?