Very much appreciate your input and the kind words in regards to the merits of the post. I don’t think I understand what it means to ‘frame’ something as you specified in this comment:
It might be useful to come up with frames and give them names and put them in a list, so you can do this:
Frames [Frame 1] [Frame 2] etc.
Any chance you could clarify/provide an example of what this kind of thing would look like? Thanks again.
Looking for HARSH criticism on some musings about the application of leverage points from systems analysis to the idea generation process:
Leverage Points
Systems analysis is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the process of studying a procedure or business in order to identify its goals and purposes and create systems and procedures that will achieve them in an efficient way”.
The concept of ‘leverage points’ is synonymous with the idea of single points of power—whether that be a single hero in an action movie or a miracle cure for disease. Change these points and you change the system in an enormous way.
This type of systems thinking provides a highly applicable toolkit which allows us to view and disassemble the idea generation process, identifying what areas within this ‘system’ are able to be shifted in small ways to produce large results.
By mapping this type of conceptual framework to the creative process, we can systematically break down where opportunities lie in creating more ideas of our own. This is about recognising what it is that Type B thinkers more successfully than those classified as Type A [explained in a redacted introduction for brevity, type A = people who are primarily idea consumers, type B = people who begin to ‘produce’ ideas].
The leverage points below are listed in order from least effective to most effective. Note that the concept of these points is not a concrete law, this is only a mental model which allows us to map reality as accurately as possible to a system of cognitive behaviour.
Note: This list of leverage points is not extensive due to inapplicability to this particular post, all references have been noted at the bottom of this page.
10. Constants, Parameters and Numbers
a. Number of unique situations To create more ideas, you must first be exposed to more situations which will provide the basis for creation. Increase the number of books, articles, movies, music, people and experiences you interact with on a daily basis. This expands the opportunity for an idea to blossom and is an excellent starting point for developing more ideas.
b. Number and variety of people you converse with
Each individual you come in contact with is an opportunity to glean unique and valuable information from. Having discussions with people from different cultures, ideologies, experiences, etc. allows you to view the same information in a different way, this is vitally important to developing ideas and solutions.
9. Buffer Sizes, Relative to their Flows
a. Depth of research: With a deeper level of understanding in any given field, you increase the ways in which you are able to approach any given situation. Arming yourself with a vast knowledge of any particular situation or topic gives you a better chance of coming up with the correct solution to a given problem because as your network of understanding grows, you increase the likelihood of generating a meaningful idea...essentially increasing your ’idea rate
Idea Rate = Number of Ideas / Number of Opportunities
8. Structure of Material Stocks and Intersecting Nodes
7. Length of Delays, Relative to Rate of System Changes
a. Reduce Cognitive Delay: Another way to become a better producer of ideas is to reduce the cognitive delay between the situation which produces an interesting thought and the time it takes to develop this thought into an idea. This will tie in with other leverage points but making it as easy as possible to spend time thinking about an idea increases the chance of multiple iterations of development occurring on any given thought.
With the same number of ideas per opportunity per unit of time, reducing the delay between cognitive processing means you are able to develop more thoughts in a given time period...thus increasing the likelihood of a successful or good idea.
Let’s illustrate how reducing your processing time results in the production of more ideas:
Constants:
Number of Opportunities = 800
Ideas/Opportunity = Idea Rate = 20%
Good Ideas/Idea = Success Rate = 10%
Given that these rates stay the same, how many good ideas can be produced for three different rates of development over 100 hours of focused work?
6. Strength of Negative Feedback Loops
a. Test Multiple Methods of Idea Implementation: By testing a number of different channels whereby you are able to validate an idea, you develop the ability to eliminate the channels/methods which present the most negative feedback. Eliminating these opportunities means less friction surrounding the idea generation process.
b. Codify more information from negative feedback:
By engaging in more conversation about your ideas, you develop a better grasp of why you receive negative feedback about particular topics. By codifying this information, you are better able to understand why people are negative about a certain idea or topic. This makes you more or less inclined to develop that type of idea further in the future.
5. Gain Around Positive Feedback Loops
a. Find a receptive audience: This is about finding an intellectual community or receptive audience to have conversations with about your ideas. This also generates new ideas just through the positive feedback mechanism, especially if you are able to work through explanations successfully in these conversations.
b. Start by developing ideas from activities you enjoy: Pay particular attention to the types of activities you enjoy. In having fun you are more likely to think about a particular activity and thus more likely to generate ideas about it.
4. Structure of Information Flows
Record every idea you have: Carry around a notebook and write down whatever thought and ideas you have with people. Thinking of ideas is a skill. You are adding feedback here that previously was not part of the system.
3. The Rules of The System
a. Increase your conceptual degrees of freedom: Don’t confine yourself to thinking about a topic in a thought pattern that already exists. Be prepared to implement mental models including first-principles thinking and reasoning by analogy in order to break through potential idea boundaries.
2. Goals of The System
a. Develop an inquisitive mindset: Work on developing a framework from which you’re able to view future experiences and information you encounter. How can you learn from all of your experiences? By standardising the way in which you organise and execute on information, you are able to refine your perspective/lens.
What information surprised you? Why did it surprise you? Would this information surprise others? Are there blind spots in the current mode of thinking? Have you encountered similar types of problems in other fields of knowledge? How did those fields produce a solution? Your goal from interactions is not necessarily to come up with an idea but it is about viewing information in a way that facilitates innovation.
1. The System’s Underlying Mindset or Paradigm
a. Practice working on more ideas: Become more used to the idea of ‘taking a stance’ on certain problems—even without sharing or discussing any results (ideally you would but still, this is an independently important factor) is a mindset shift that reduces modest epistemology. This is the notion that you hold back upon your own beliefs, which may contradict those of the ‘experts’, because you don’t feel that you’re adequately qualified to come up with an argument, idea or even solution to certain problems.
This ties in to the idea that it is possible for you to produce a synthesis of contrarian idea. By believing that your ideas (or even potential ideas in the future) have merit, you incentivise creativity for yourself—you have a chance to come up with an important discovery. By determining why you want to work on an idea, you will increase your ‘execution rate’.