…not just the parts

[photo by Jens Dige/ ASSOCIATED PRESS via STATESMAN]

As the Climate Change conference comes to a close.. an “agreement” has been signed, an accord consisting of pages of goals and rhetoric on how to achieve change.  A valiant effort, but does it take into account the people involved, economic factors and cultural environment these nations live within?  Likely not….

Complex stuff… and this is not a political statement.  It’s actually just an observation and a great parallel for the times we’re living in.  Whether it’s climate change, politics, Wall Street, digital media and publishing industry, product design, global markets, advertising business, etc, etc …

So much has already been shifting, so much is going to change.

Everything is up for grabs..most everything is ripe for innovation.

“We’re in the middle of a period.. of “combinatorial innovation.” (a period in history where) there would be the availability of a different component parts that innovators could combine or recombine to create new |inventions.”
- Hal Varian, Google Chief Economic Officer

Hal’s view of change is pretty cool for us to think about.. “create” something new out of all the old and new things around us.  But I’d add that being innovative requires more than just solving a problem, it requires a much higher level view of the assets, people, cultural factors and interactions amongst creators and constituents.  It requires questioning the problem statement you are given first.. re-framing it.. then evaluating the system before finding the answer.

So whether you are trying to achieve political resolution, launch a new product or develop a brand campaign next year, ask your self.

Am I changing the parts? Or am I impacting the system?
[h/t Tim Sweeney/Upstream]