Majicman Notes

In a multi-year study published in Harvard Business Review, Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen examined what truly separates innovative leaders from non-creative professionals. Their conclusion was striking: the defining skill is what they call associating —

“the ability to successfully connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas from different fields.”

Breakthrough thinkers, they argue, do not simply think harder or faster. They think across boundaries. They draw connections where others see compartments. Innovation, in this view, is less about genius and more about synthesis.

Reference

Dyer, J. H., Gregersen, H. B., & Christensen, C. M. (2009, December). The Innovator’s DNA. Harvard Business Review, 87(12), 60–67.