You will all remember the old saying - “You don’t need to re-invent the wheel”. It is very long in the tooth, and we might not all agree to its sense, but I think everyone would agree that there is little sense innovating and developing something that's already been done. The solution to the problem is already developed, tested and proven. There is no mileage in taking the same solution to the same problem when it is already done.

Yet, when it comes to innovation, we don’t follow this adage. Instead, we tend to fall into more of an analytical approach to problem solving. What data can we discover? Can we draw conclusions from this data?

For example, we will review processes and look for steps in the process that are time consuming and can be regarded as waste. We look to see how we can automate processes, streamline them.

These are well-trodden, and I would argue stereotypical approaches to problem solving. People may say that the solutions are innovative but in reality, they are more about optimisation in terms of the design of the Capability (People, Process and Technology).

History is littered with examples where someone noticed something in a place where they were not specifically looking, that gave them a new idea as to how they could tackle the problem they were addressing.

Are you aware of the heritage of the Toyota Production System (TPS) a global pathfinder of Just-in-time operations? Would it amaze you to know that inspiration for some of the ideas embodied in the TPS came from a US retailer Piggly Wiggly? I kid you not!

Are you aware that Emergency Departments in hospitals took ideas in how they work in patients when they are first trolleyed into the department from Formula 1 racing Pit Stop processes?

Curious individuals that were open to seeking inspiration from the world around them noticed things.

They were curious to open their eyes to the world around them. They were open to challenging the norms and not simply try to optimise a solution based on known parameters.

We have coined the phrase Boundaryless Thinking $^T$$^M$ to describe a systematic approach to problem solving that specifically is directed to apply curiosity in identifying and leveraging innovative solutions from one domain to another.

The benefit of using BLT as we say from a short-hand manner, is that when you are trying to solve a problem having a proven solution immediately builds confidence, de-risks and accelerates the resolution.

OK, so I have built the case for BLT but how do you make it happen?

Well, our journey at Resonvate has taken us from facilitating workshops to developing two assets that make BLT possible.

The first is that we have curated a platform of stories of innovation to give you a starting point of places to look at when seeking inspiration for possible BLT solutions.

We have several hundred stories and are constantly curating new ones using our network of innovation scouts. But they are not exhaustive. We just need to set you on your way to turn up you innate curiosity that we all share as a human being.

The second asset is our platform PLOT.

We appreciate that just saying that you need to be curious and apply BLT, especially when tackling big problems, is very simplistic. So, we have developed PLOT as a ‘Software-as-a-Service’ system hosted in the cloud.