Deconstructing the frameworks of innovation
We often put successful entrepreneurs on a pedestal, believing they possess some form of wizardry that we fail to comprehend. They must have a secret, or an innate talent, to be able to change so many people’s lives. While they may inherently possess many talents, there are aspects and frameworks of the innovative mindset that are learnable — and, more importantly, teachable. We are lucky enough to live in an age where we can learn from the thousands who have blazed bold trails, and as a result, becoming innovative can now be taught.
Innovation, by nature, is a constantly evolving field. To understand it, you need to become comfortable venturing into the unknown — exploring the fringes of your worldview and being at the forefront of technological advances. In order to innovate, it becomes essential to adopt a multifaceted approach. At District 3, we believe the best way to master that approach is by being part of a multidisciplinary community, working with others to build your own experience and create something with a positive societal impact.
Ultimately, you need to go beyond the classroom. Emerging technology is disrupting the way we work, and — according to reports such as the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs — values like creativity, collaboration and communication are more in-demand than ever before: you need to take what you already know, and augment that with other viewpoints and skill sets. Your degree does not define you, but it is your starting point to lifelong learning and exploration.
Like immersing yourself in a language, it’s important to get involved in the innovation and startup ecosystem. Taking the time to learn the language as you provide your own experience will bring you to new perspectives and ideas.
The Graduate Certificate is one such option offered at District 3. The program offers the chance to match the theory behind innovation with practical application as you develop solutions to concrete challenges faced by startups and organizations. Your education is never really over, and the community at District 3 offers you the chance to learn while you create, placing you in contact not only with innovators, but with people from a variety of backgrounds. Throughout your journey, you’ll come together to collaborate, learn first-hand about innovation, and, eventually, build prototypes and witness the tangible results of your work, and its direct impact in solving a challenge.
Innovation is a puzzle
For Pablo, a recent participant in the Graduate Certificate program, innovation had been laid out like a puzzle. He’d been handed the pieces, but wasn’t sure how to place them together. The academic theory he had acquired over the course of his degree in design, along with his years of experience in the field, gave him a strong background, but innovation seemed like an intangible concept. However, by collaborating with innovators from different backgrounds, Pablo was able to build his own understanding of design, and investigate a deeper concept of “design thinking,” finally leading to an end product that he could be proud of for the project he was assigned.
By unpacking how the best products are made through a more thorough understanding of collaboration and ecosystems, Pablo reworked the way he thought about the flexibility of design, bringing clarity and added benefits to clients he had worked with before his work with District 3. His practical experience in the program gave him tangible results, and the cross-disciplinary focus of the projects he worked on meant he was envisioning all aspects of a product, rather than just what he knew. Pablo became more than a designer, but an innovator and entrepreneur as well.
Innovation is not comfortable
Part of innovation is getting out of your comfort zone. You can’t push boundaries if you’re defined by them. Victoria, who is currently partaking in the program, was excited to strengthen her understanding of design, innovation and communication. She was ready to push herself out of her comfort zone. But initially, she didn’t mesh with the members of her team as well as she thought she would.
Victoria didn’t let that phase her. Through openly communicating about the backgrounds and philosophies of her teammates, as well as her own interests and viewpoints, she was able to improve her ability to identify with the lessons of others, but also effectively draw the line on what she wanted out of her experience. In doing so, she too managed to build on her background of social science to gain a greater understanding of innovation and most importantly, team dynamics.
Innovation is exploration
University is merely the beginning for a life of learning, as both Pablo and Victoria discovered. In Montreal and around the world, people are working to redefine the ways we interact with each other, our environments, and the structures surrounding us. Every day at District 3, innovators come to work with determination and grit, creating an environment Victoria describes as “hardworking,” yet “human-centered.”
In order to chase innovation with such conviction, you have to be willing to go off-script. Experiential learning and collaboration with others will bring you the clarity and depth of understanding you need to widen your scope, and push the boundaries of change. And communicating openly and honestly will bring you the community of support you’ll need to keep pushing.
But the first step is learning the methodologies of innovations to apply throughout your career, whether you decide to become an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur. Now working with a District 3 startup to continue defining design thinking, Pablo reflects on letting go of a strict path forward.
His advice? “Just walk, and you will find the way.”
Ultimately, innovation isn’t an undefinable secret. It’s the spirit of taking risks, the willingness to explore, and the drive to collaborate with new and exciting perspectives. It’s combining theory with experience to solve problems and build a better world. And all of that can be achieved.
