Sunbirds, Architects and Integrators

In The Creators Code, Amy Wilkinson identifies three mind-sets of creators.

Sunbirds

  • Sun birds fly from bud to bud, transferring pollen between flowers;
  • They transfer solutions that work in one area and apply them to another, often with a twist; and repurpose it;
  • They harvest working concepts, proving that repurposing an idea can be a powerful means of discovery
  • They relocate and reshape existing concepts across geographies and industries, and bring old ideas up to date;
  • Sunbirds identify a working concept and find a way to plug it in elsewhere; They examine how and why it worked initially, and what similarities or differences will make it work again; Sunbirds make this calculation repeatedly;
  • To transfer concepts that the rest of us don’t see, Sunbirds use the power of analogy (surface or structural); odds of success for a Sunbird improve if concepts share structural similarities
  • Making comparisons help people utilise what they already know
  • Sunbirds also revive outdated concepts to bring them up to date;
  • Sunbirds willingly look in places that others dismiss. They gain an advantage from knowing a little bit about a lot of things and repurpose knowledge from seemingly unrelated fields;
  • The farther Sunbirds transport solutions, the greater the likelihood of breakthrough results. Gaps can be narrow, leading to incremental innovations, or they can be wide, leading to more novel creations
  • It is not always as easy as it might seem to identify and transport ideas; Inca people of South America fashioned toy vehicles for their children that had wheels, yet they were unable to make the connection between wheels on toy vehicles and their own need for transportation
  • Sunbirds don’t allow social or market stigmas about how things get done in a certain field to dictate the way something might be repurposed
  • Segway, Starbucks, Velcro, eBay, Craigslist — are all Sunbirds

Architects

  • They recognise openings and furnish what is missing
  • They construct from the ground up
  • They spot problems and design new products and services to satisfy unfulfilled needs
  • They have a unique ability to see vacancies and envision how separate parts can fit together to form a new logical design
  • They start by looking what is not there; they listen for silence and pay attention to what others ignore
  • When they detect the slightest anomaly, the Architects ask “WHY?”
  • They unpack assumptions and test different variables to order new solutions
  • They retain a childlike naivete, a beginner’s mind; they ask of all assumptions — “Can this be done differently?”
  • Approach things from a “first principles” framework
  • Architects are problem finders — they identify friction points, bottle-necks, and complications, and craft new solutions
  • “Where’s the Pain?” — Architects ask, believing that once you identify a problem, you are on the way to solving it;
  • Architects relentlessly press forward, often without outside validation;
  • Architects build new products without anyone showing them how; they beleive they might have a better way; and press forward without a need for affirmation;
  • They think all the time
  • They operate somewhat like a detective trained to notice inconsistencies in case materials, discrepancies in testimonies, or glitches in a sequence of events;
  • Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla, Spanx — are all Architects

Integrators

  • Unlike Sunbirds, who transport ideas across divides, or Architects, who build new concepts from the ground up, Integrators combine existing elements to shape novel outcomes; they invent a new way forward by assembling opposites
  • They meld existing concepts to combine disparate approaches to build blended outcomes
  • They uncover opportunities to overlap ideas and find ways that two disparate elements might make a good marriage; with a focus on filling a specific gap
  • Fusing retro and modern trends in Fashion, Juxtaposition of ideas in jokes, Abstract forms in Art, Jazz in Music (confluence of African and European traditions), Behavioral Economics, Bioinformatics, and Geophysics in Academics (integration of disciplines)
  • An ability to see pieces independently enables Integrators to disentangle elements and assemble them to new and different amalgamation (Candle Problem by Gestalt Psychologist Karl Dunker)
  • Integrators also uncover opportunities by combining contrasting ideas; merging opposites can yield breakthrough discoveries
  • Considering opposite meaning words as excitement and tranquility, solitude and companionship, and luxury and affordability can enable Integrators to identify gap. Ex: Luxury SUV
  • Janusian thinking is a term used to describe the ability to actively conceive of two or more opposite concepts, ideas, or images simultaneously (Roman God Janus sports two faces gazing in opposite directions); Conceptual contradiction can lead to creative results?

The Itch of Curiosity

The Creator’s most important tool is curiosity. Bold and incisive inquiry sharpens the mind and senses and leads to unexpected discoveries, fresh opportunities, and aha! moments.

Sunbirds, Architects and Integrators all ask a myriad of questions. They don’t lose their natural curiosity. Preschool children ask nearly a hundred questions a day. As we grow older, though, many of us become less inquisitive. Making the effort to ask questions can sharpen our alertness to opportunities. You don’t invent the answers, you reveal them by finding the right questions.

Gap-seeking creators raise these questions: What surprises me? What am I missing? How can I remove the impediments? What paradoxes do I see?

Thinking like a Sunbird, Architect, or Integrator is like strengthening a mental muscle. Your ability to spot an opportunity grows as you practice and engage. It all begins with an alert and questioning mind.