New Eyes for Old Problems New Eyes for Old Problems

Accelerating Pathways to Accelerating Pathways to Innovation Innovation

in Nursing Science in Nursing Science

Kathi Mooney, RN, PhD, FAANUniversity of Utah

Innovation

An innovation is the introduction of new ideas, goods, services, and practices which are intended to be useful

NIH view of Scientific Innovation• Does the application challenge and seek to

shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

Where is Scientific Innovation Needed in Health Care?

• Prevent illness • Improve health• Decrease health risks• Solve clinical problems• Develop the evidence

base for care

• Test new treatments• Cure disease• Improve quality of life• Decrease suffering• Solve societal problems

and improve the health and well being of communities

Accelerating Pathways to innovation

Achieving meaningful progress in nursing science

Thomas Kuhn- 1962

• Normal science, the linear accumulation of knowledge, an essential phase of scientific advancement

• But significant progress comes from revolutionary science, periodic paradigm shifts leading to real breakthroughs

How do you approach your science? How do you think about your

problem? • Innovation comes

when you can see old problems with new eyes

Thinking about your problem with new eyes

Innovation as a

creative process

• Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, and relationships, and generate meaningful, novel ideas, forms, methods, interpretations that are deemed useful.

• Key factors: something new or different but also something useful

Components of creativity

• Product

• Person

• Place (Press)

• Persuasion

• Process

A Creative Product

• Who decides what is creative?– The eye of the beholder– The field

• Judgments of the field– Tenure portfolio– Grant applications– Manuscripts

A Creative Person

• Can creativity be

developed?• Are some people just

born creative?• Is creativity domain

specific or general?

• Is there a personality type?– Curiosity– Openness to experience– Fluency of thinking– Ability to embrace

ambiguity– Intrinsic motivation– Persistence in the face of

failure or set backs

Obstacles to innovation in scienceOur dualistic nature

• Conservative tendency (our fall-back mode)

– Self preserving– Self promoting– Fear of failure

• Expansive tendency (needs continuous cultivation)

– Desire to explore– Enjoyment of novelty and even risk

Keeping Balance

Success- Best in the World

Significance- Best for the World

Strive not to be a success but rather,

to be of value

Albert Einstein

Creative Place

• What environments facilitate creativity?– Freedom– Risk taking encouraged– Leader support– Social interaction and informal encounters

Obstacles to innovation in science- Creative Press

Organizational norms and the culture of science and academe

• Most PhD programs teach the current context, values and traditions of the field

• Performance pressures to obtain tenure and gain funded studies

• Peer review process• Current assumptions of the field are expected• Risk is discouraged

Persuasion and Creativity

• Very important not to just have an innovative idea but to be able to persuade the field to value your idea– Peer review– Grant applications– Manuscripts

The Creative Process involves

• Seeking new insight

• Finding a new question

• New problem formulation by changing assumptions

Problem Finding and Problem Formulation in Nursing Science

• How you ‘see’ a problem– Next logical step- solely an analytic approach

or– New formulation leading to an innovation-

requires insight with both associative and analytic thought

Asking the right question is the key

Science Problems as Insight Problems that require creativity

• well defined problems- analytic process to solve

• ill defined problems- aided by insight to find and reformulate the problem and solution

The Nature of InsightCreative Process Model

• Preparation- becoming immersed, curious and engaged, intense study, field expertise

• Incubation- ideas churn subconsciously with random recombinations

• Insight- a clear and deep perception- aha moments, but may not be so abrupt or singular

• Verification/Evaluation- decide if the insight is valuable

• Elaboration- doing the hard work to operationalize the idea

Insight Problems• Problem requires something new to solve

• Solution is not immediately obvious

• Objective is to move from one problem representation to a different representation

So why isn’t this easy?• Habitation- ceasing to take notice; seeing

with same eyes

• Functional Fixedness- fixated on previous or familiar ideas and approaches- how the field ‘sees’ the problem

• Unable to recognize existing and limiting assumptions- ‘seeing’ what you expect

Pathways to Accelerate Insight Use Creative Processes

For new eyes

reformulate and restructure your problem• 1. Removing mental blocks• 2. Linguistic approaches• 3. Visual-Spatial approaches • 4. Analog Approaches

Creative processes: Remove Mental Blocks

• Develop tolerance for ambiguity and contradictions

• Be curious about anomalies • Surface field assumptions and question them• Broaden the perspective• Practice reversal thinking• Allow the process to incubate. Use associative as

well as analytic approaches• Reframe failure as learning; value persistence• Remind yourself why your problem is important

Develop Habits and Practices for your Science

• Create a routine that facilitates pondering and reformulating your ideas

Develop habits of the mind

– Be open to experiences beyond sitting at your desk

– Include routines and approaches that promote preparation/exploration, incubation, insight and elaboration/evaluation as you design, implement , analyze your studies and then move the findings into practice and policy.

Recognize and use Serendipity

• The art of finding something while looking for something else

• Gaining knowledge from accidental events• Requires

– Openness and receptivity– Sagacity- ability to connect the unconnected

Cultivate Flow

• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997) Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. HarperCollins: New York

• Heightened concentration• Awareness is narrowed to

the task• There is a balance

between level of ability and challenge of the task

• Distortion of time• Loss of awareness of

bodily needs• Activity is intrinsically

rewarding and pleasurable

Linguistic PracticesLateral or Divergent ThinkingLateral thinking is:– generative– provocative– makes jumps– does not search for

just one answer or one pathway

Generate new ideas• Suspend judgment• Deliberately generate

many different alternatives and patterns

• Seek novel connections• Challenge assumptions

Problem Analogies or Metaphors

Examine functions, processes and relationships between your problem and a familiar source

Interlock the two domains and evaluate

fatigue rubber band

fatigue wet cement

Visual-Spatial PracticesUse of Maps

Purpose

• Challenge assumptions• Recognize new or

different patterns• Find new connections

• Many types– Graphic organizers– Brainstorming webs– Conceptual mapping– Digital dashboards

• Describing qualities• Cause and effect• Compare and contrast• Sequencing• Whole and parts• Classification• Argument development

Visual-Spatial Practices restructure by using a visual organizer

Concept

1

11 & 2

1 & 2

1 & 21

1

1

Concept 2

2

2

2

2

Analog PracticesLeave the silo

• Field fixedness• How do others see the problem• Fatigue:

– Pregnancy– Cancer– Physical Therapy– Engineering– Poet

• Find an Analog

Transdisciplinary Science

• Beyond having a variety of people on your grant contributing their piece before the deadline

• Teams are most effective when focused on a problem, there is organizational support and they are lead by a highly facilitating leader

• There is a balance of individual thinking and group processing

• Ultimately a new field/discipline may emerge

Early Stage Investigators

• Don’t get so caught up in self-preservation that you don’t bring the ‘expansive’ focus to your research

• Keep your passion and your mission in the forefront

• Look for an environment that gets this when you interview for a position

• Notice when you feel ‘flow’ and look for more of those opportunities

• Develop a ‘Practice’ of how you do your science so you deliberately nurture the process

• Success and Significance

Senior Investigators

• Don’t let your level of accomplishment get in the way of the ‘expansive’ focus

• Renew/recommit yourself to your passion and your mission

• Fight to retain openness and receptivity• Create an environment that embraces this for you and

those you mentor

Study Sections and Reviewers

Know the gate you are keeping• Gatekeeper of the perfectly written application

Or• Promoting the advancement of the field as quickly as

possible, looking for strong problem formulation and true innovation

What are the implications for PhD education?

They graduate competent but have we helped them to be original, to understand the role of creativity

and innovation, to focus on a problem from idea to policy change to prepare for

success and significance?

New Eyes Advance Innovation and

Discovery in Nursing Science

Kathi Mooney, RN, PhD, FAAN

University of Utah College of Nursing Salt Lake City, UT 84112

kathi.mooney@nurs.utah.edu

(801) 585-9645