Join Scott and Dr. Sheena Lyengar to learn about making choices, embracing failure, and becoming a good chooser. Explore innovative problem-solving, creativity, and feedback perception. Unleash brilliance through strategic copying, unconventional innovation, and authenticity perception. Discover the social construction of authenticity and self-perception.
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Quick takeaways
Become a good chooser by understanding available options and creating meaningful choices in uncertain situations.
Leverage 'strategic copying' to innovate by adapting ideas from diverse fields and recombining existing knowledge effectively.
Deep dives
Dr. Sheena Iyengar on Innovation and Choice
Dr. Sheena Iyengar, a renowned professor at Columbia Business School, delves into the science of choice and innovation. She emphasizes the importance of understanding how to make the most of available options and create meaningful choices, even in uncertain situations. Through her 'Think Bigger' methodology, she guides individuals on becoming better at decision-making and generating innovative solutions. Dr. Iyengar highlights the concept of 'strategic copying', where non-experts can leverage existing ideas in different fields to innovate effectively.
The Power of Being a Strategic Copier
Dr. Iyengar discusses the notion of 'strategic copying' as a valuable tool for innovation. By borrowing core concepts from diverse fields and adapting them creatively, individuals can foster new ideas and solutions. She showcases the example of Reed Hastings, who transformed the home entertainment industry by integrating a membership model inspired by another industry. This approach emphasizes the importance of recombining existing knowledge to drive innovation.
Authenticity and Positive Self-Perceptions
In her research on authenticity and self-perceptions, Dr. Iyengar uncovers the paradoxical relationship between positivity and authenticity. She explores how positive self-evaluations can lead individuals to feel more authentic, even when others may not perceive them as such. This highlights the social construction of authenticity, where alignment between self-perceptions and external perceptions shapes one's sense of authenticity.
Implications of Positive Self-Evaluations
Dr. Iyengar's findings suggest that positive self-evaluations can influence subjective feelings of authenticity. However, this positivity bias does not extend to how others perceive authenticity, indicating a nuanced interplay between self-perceptions and external judgments. This research underscores the complexity of authenticity as a socially constructed concept that intertwines personal beliefs and external perceptions.
This week Scott is joined by Columbia business professor Dr. Shena Lyengar on how we make choices and innovate. Scott and Sheena discuss the essential tools of becoming a good chooser, the neuroscience of creativity and innovation, and how outsiders can come into a field and become an expert in it.