If you believe innovation is unnecessary just because disaster hasn’t struck, you’re already caught in Parmenides’ Fallacy.
Parmenides, the Greek logician, argued that reality is unchanging and the world evolves without our intervention.
We compare today to the past, rather than to what would have likely happened if we had done nothing.
When it comes to innovation, lots of those ideas are shut down in favour of ‘do nothing’. You would see executives talking about innovation and asking for more, but when an innovation case is presented, you will be asked, “Who else is doing it?”.
So, what’s the solution?
Always expand your ‘do nothing’ with what would likely happen. So, the relevant comparison is not ‘after’ vs ‘before’ but “what would likely have happened otherwise”.
So, the next time you find yourself in this situation, remind yourself or your executive team about Parmenides’ Fallacy.
Thinking Space 