Why a Systems Thinking Perspective on Cognition Matters for Innovation and Knowledge Creation. A Framework towards Leaving behind Our Projections from the Past for Creating New Futures

Abstract

We propose a systems perspective on the cognitive foundations of innovation and knowledge creation. We show that the (standard) way we perceive, think and act is opposed to creating (radically) new knowledge. For example, the predictive coding paradigm claims that our brain is a highly complex ‘prediction machine’ being mainly driven by its past experiences. Although this claim may initially seem counterintuitive from a systems thinking perspective, we will show in the first part of this paper that a systems thinking perspective provides a well‐suited framework to explain this phenomenon. The second part proposes a framework to overcome these limitations of our common way of thinking and perceiving in the context of creating novelty. We argue that, in order to create (radically) new knowledge, we can (i) modify the knowledge structures underlying our perception of the world and (ii) affect the way we perceive our environment. We present a framework as well as concrete strategies and tools to do so. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.