Friction does not necessary have to be a negative thing. If you get opposing sides against each other, there will be lots of pushback, but such pushback can also bring out new ideas, inspiration and knowledge.
Sometimes you should pursue this in a structure manner.
My way of doing this is to think in terms of intersections. I often ask myself this question: Where can I find “schools of thoughts” or concepts that not only complement each other, but also provide some friction and pushback?
Some years ago, the intersection of innovation and networking lead me to open innovation. Although this sounds very complementary today, there was actually a lot of friction then as most companies viewed innovation as something that should be handled internally. There was not yet the urge, need or push to open up.
Two years ago, I looked into the intersection of open innovation and social media. This was a whole new thing and most companies have not even begun scratching the surface on this as I describe in my latest book. Although, many buy into open innovation as well as social media today, they still struggle in making the connection in a way that is productive to their companies. This will change in the coming years.
I find that working in such intersections of complementary elements as well as friction and pushback is not only stimulating, but also rewarding in many ways.
What kind of intersections do you pursue today and which ones should you pursue in the near future?
