Jazz it till you make it

One thing I love about Jazz is improvisation sessions. It’s where when the band play something unpredictable to explore the unknown and perhaps discover something new together.

I think that was what Jazz bands and innovation teams have in common. They both know how to create something that didn’t exist before, from the diversity of thought and expertise.

The Jazz musicians know how to listen to others while playing. They learn from previous notes and constantly recalibrate the next move to synchronise with the band seamlessly. It’s like seeing (and hearing) the cross-functional team create magical innovation in real-time.

We all know that today’s remarkable is tomorrow mediocre. Have you ever wondered why do some organisations create innovations year after year?

“Only work in progress that’s progress. Perfection can’t beat continuous improvement”

I think it’s because they know how to make their innovation teams work like Jazz bands and whether good or bad their constantly improvise something new every day, all-in all-out. Only work in progress that’s progress. Perfection can’t beat continuous improvement.

If you’re ever worked on any innovation project before, you know that complex problems have too many unknowns. The fast-paced business era makes it challenging to wait for the perfect moment to create something. We don’t know how much information is enough information.

Luckily, there is a magical formula to explore the unknowns that we overlook due to its simplicity. All we need is just as Paul Arden once says, “Do it, then fix it as you go.” and I think that captured what’s innovation so well.

Innovation never starts with a root cause of the problem. If you can define all the issues before you put your hand to creating something, you’re either too late or not innovative enough.

It would be best if you had the flexibility to adjust the course when necessary. Your improvisational talent is worth more than intelligence.

As a designer, the best time to design something is now—and no worry, If something goes wrong, I will fix it later.

Jazz it till you make it 🎷