Not matter what your field—ministry, business, not for profit, or education—you always want to be on the lookout for new ideas. The question is, “Are innovative ideas more likely to come from established participants or from novices?” According to professor Amir Goldberg at Stanford University, we should focus on the fringes for breakthrough ideas.
In his research, Goldberg found that prescient thinking—the creation of novel ideas that prove productive-- was more likely to emerge from the fringes of a field. In business, prescient ideas were eight times more likely to emerge from the smallest companies than the largest.
“We’re not saying innovation always comes from the periphery, only that it’s more likely,” Goldberg notes. As investors and business leaders seek the next big idea, Goldberg says “Openness to outsiders and welcoming a diversity of voices is a good place to start.”
For churches and denominations, this means that we should listen to the newcomer and those on the margins of our congregations. These are the people who are most in touch with reality and are not stuck in the “echo chamber” we find in many churches. Provide opportunities to ask questions, listen, and dream with these individuals.
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