INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY GO HAND IN HAND, CROWN PRINCE HEARS AT MAJLIS
▶ Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed hosted a lecture by prominent neuroscientist Dr Beau Lotto, Haneen Dajani reports
Businesses are too focused on getting the most out of their employees in the least possible time. That is the view of Dr Beau Lotto, a neuroscientist and the founder of New York-based research hub Lab of Misfits.
Dr Lotto, who spoke at Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on Monday, said: “Companies are constantly trying to get more for less. This would be a great idea but for the fact that the world changes. So too, then, must we.
“In nature, the most successful systems are the most adaptable. Thus, human systems need to be both efficient and creative.”
In his lecture, titled The Science of Innovation: Becoming Naturally Adaptable, Dr Lotto said humans are typically averse to uncertainty and explained that they have evolved to predict and prepare for danger.
But only when people are unaware of what lies ahead can they become creative.
“Innovation begins with not knowing – with a question, not an answer – with challenging what one assumes to be true,” he said.
Dr Lotto said creativity and efficiency both fostered innovation but, for too long, society had overlooked the former in favour of the guaranteed results of a path well travelled.
As the world changes, becoming increasingly unpredictable and interconnected, creativity has become crucial for evolution, he said.
“Millions of years ago, man learnt to see only what he needed to see in order to survive, and the brain did not evolve to see the world as it is.
“We think we see the world as it is but we are mistaken.
“What we see is subjective and everything we know is filtered by each individual’s past experience.
“The brain instead evolved to see the world the way it was useful to see in the past.
“Not seeing reality is essential to our ability to adapt,” Dr Lotto said.
“As our brains evolved towards certainty, we simultaneously evolved away from creativity, which asks us to question our assumptions. That is the only way to see differently.”
Dr Lotto said uncertainty and change also encouraged acceptance and respect.
“Everything we do and see are reflexive responses grounded in assumptions, which means the roots of creativity reside less in
spontaneous inspiration and more in the deeply human qualities of courage and humility, which is essential for tolerance,” he said.
“Using the principles by which the brain sees, we can apply these principles to enable individuals and organisations to see differently and in doing so, thrive in uncertainty.”
The lecture was one of a series of weekly presentations held during the holy month. All are hosted at Al Bateen Palace by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The talks are typically attended by sheikhs, diplomats and other dignitaries.