Innovate The Next: Success Frameworks to Innovating Products in Any Revolution

By Tiisetso Maloma

Innovate The Next is the 7th book by author and entrepreneur Tiisetso Maloma.

 

The core teaching of the book is how one can become an innovator of novel products (physical and virtual) in any industrial revolution.

It is targeted at entrepreneurs, employees and innovation enthusiasts.

 

To understand and master a thing, one has to understand how it forms, unfolds and evolves.

 

Chapter One takes to evolutionary biology to form this understanding of innovation evolution (manmade and biological).

After all, biology gave humans the brain they innovate with.

 

It looks at the factors pre-determining the success or failure of biological and manmade innovations. To achieve this it borrows the 'Adjacent Possible Theory' from biology. The theory was devised by theoretical biologist Stuart Alan Kauffman.

 

To drive this guide methodically, Tiisetso Maloma devised a set of factors entitled 'Enabling factors for products success with the Adjacent Possible.'

Namely, they are: (a) Behavioural Utility, (b) Innovation (adjacent possible stacking, or stacking for agility), (c) Location Specific Adjacent Possible Advantages, (d) Spaza/Convenience Metrical Interest/Advantage of a Product, (e) Business Model, and (f) Luck.

Their use is to analyse, evaluate and strengthen any product innovation or idea.

 

Chapter Two connects the success or failure of manmade innovations to evolutionary psychological-inclinations through Tiisetso Maloma's devised Human Greed Pyramid.

 

The pyramid illustrates how product success is allowed and or disallowed by human inclinations.

 

Chapter Three plots how inclinations can be plotted into innovation.

 

Chapter Four reverse engineers the models illustrated in the book into what skills can one hone to become an innovator of novel products. It draws scenarios for entrepreneurs, employees and innovation aspirants.

 

Chapter Five connects the models learned throughout the book to understand the current (Fourth) Industrial Revolution and its technologies: robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of Things, decentralized consensus, 5G, 3D printing and autonomous vehicles.

It sheds light on key innovation concepts such as Moore's Law, exaptation, and convergence.

It is a chapter on how to see into the future as an innovator.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tiisetso Maloma
• Release date: Apr 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9781005425098

Book preview

INNOVATE THE NEXT

Success Frameworks for Innovating Products in Any Revolution

By Tiisetso Maloma

C:\Users\Tiisetso Maloma\Documents\kabish\Entities\ACTIVE ENTITIES - KABISH\Bula Buka\website - BB\logos - BB\logo black and white - BB.png

Copyright

INNOVATE THE NEXT

By Tiisetso Maloma

Copyright © 2021 Tiisetso Maloma

All Rights Reserved

Print ISBN: 9798709654488, ePUB eBook ISBN: 9781005425098

Released 10 May 2021

Published by Bula Buka – www.bulabuka.co.za

Edited by Lara Stander

Cover car illustration by Mary Essmat (elepaint.com)

Cover design by germancreative

Author website: www.tiisetsomaloma.co.za

Cover, layout, eBook conversion and online distribution by www.bulabuka.co.za

This book or any parts thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or stored in any information retrieval system, by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission from the author.

Books by Tiisetso Maloma

Forget the Business Plan Use This Short Model

Innovate the Next

The Anxious Entrepreneur

Understanding the 4th Industrial Revolution & Innovation Easily

Future of Township Economies

Township Biz Adjacent

Tales of an African Entrepreneur

Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism

90 Days to Create & Launch

Innovate Like Elon Musk

About the book

Innovate the Next is the 7th book by author and entrepreneur Tiisetso Maloma.

The core teaching of the book examines how one can become an innovator of novel products (physical and virtual) in any industrial revolution.

It is targeted at entrepreneurs, employees and innovation enthusiasts.

To understand and master a thing, one has to understand how it forms, unfolds and evolves.

Section I

Chapter One takes us through evolutionary biology to form a foundation to understand the innovation of evolution (man-made and biological).

After all, biology gave humans the brain with which they innovate.

It looks at the factors pre-determining the success or failure of biological and man-made innovations. To achieve this, it borrows from the biological ‘Adjacent Possible Theory’ which was devised by the theoretical biologist, Stuart A. Kauffman.

To illustrate this guide methodically, Tiisetso Maloma devised a set of factors entitled, ‘Enabling factors for products success with the Adjacent Possible.’

These factors are: (a) Behavioural Utility, (b) Innovation (Adjacent Possible stacking, or stacking for agility), (c) Location Specific Adjacent Possible Advantages, (d) Spaza/Convenience Metrical Interest/Advantage of a Product, (e) Business Model, and (f) Luck.

Their function is to analyse, evaluate and strengthen any product innovation or idea.

Chapter Two connects the success or failure of man-made innovations to evolutionary psychological inclinations by means of the Human Greed Pyramid, as devised by Tiisetso Maloma.

The pyramid illustrates how product success is allowed and/or disallowed by human inclinations.

It further shows how novelties are discovered and uncovered through the exploitation of human cognition and man-made innovations.

The pyramid shows, from a human perspective, how the world is layered and how others creatively control or contribute to it.

Chapter Three explores how inclinations can be plotted into innovations.

Chapter Four reverse engineers the models illustrated in the book into skills one can hone to become an innovator of novel products. It draws scenarios for entrepreneurs, employees and innovation aspirants.

Section II

Section Two connects the models learned throughout the book to understand the current (Fourth) Industrial Revolution and its technologies: robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the Internet of Things (IoT), decentralized consensus, 5G, 3D printing and autonomous vehicles.

It sheds light on key innovation concepts such as Moore’s Law, exaptation, and convergence.

It is a Chapter on how to see into the future as an innovator.

Section III

Section III is a bonus section of important and interesting articles referenced and quoted throughout the book.

The author, Tiisetso Maloma

C:\Users\Tiisetso Maloma\Documents\kabish\Entities\ACTIVE ENTITIES - KABISH\Tiisetso Maloma blog.com\Innovate Next book - Tiisetso Maloma\1 Media photo - Tiisetso Maloma.png

Tiisetso Maloma authored 7 books – including Innovate The Next and The Anxious Entrepreneur  – and founded startups in clothing, publishing, events and tech. He has worn hats as an accountant, DJ, web designer, clothing designer, and knowledge trainer.

Maloma has given lectures at Wits Business School and Johannesburg Business School. He has spoken at various business and entrepreneurship events, and some of which he organised.

His current work involves helping entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs get a leading understanding of the 4IR; and how they can become innovators of novel products. The work marries evolution, innovation, consumer behaviour and entrepreneurship.

Tiisetso developed the EBC Business Model and The Human Greed Pyramid.

Tiisetso’s other books include Forget the Business Plan Use this Short Model, Township Biz Fastrack, Township Biz Adjacent, Understanding the 4th Industrial Revolution & Innovation Easily and Tales of an African Entrepreneur.

Maloma’s founded and co-founded startups include Maloma Content Publishers, Bula Buka, Rural Joss Clothing, Startup Picnic, Gabble Heights Clothing, www.goodmorningsa.co.za, eKhaya Moji, Bhovas & Sam Clothing, Defuse Anxiety, and PsychHero Consulting.

He is an advisor at Atimeme App and was an advisor at Pro Hangout dating app (which has closed down).

Tiisetso has worked with Standard Bank, The Innovation Hub, Sappi, ABSA, The Hope Factory, Transnet Matlafatso Centre, Ndalo Media and a multitude of companies.

He’s been the foremost blogger of entrepreneurship content in South Africa for the last 10 years through his blog www.tiisetsomaloma.com.

Maloma has featured on CNBC, Power FM, Huffington Post, Biz Community, Under 30 CEO (USA), Destiny Man, How We Made It In Africa, Business Report, and many other outlets.

He holds a National Diploma in Accounting, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Criminal Justice & Forensic Investigations, both from the University of Johannesburg.

Disclaimer – accuracy versus clarity)

We’ve endeavoured to make this book as factual as possible, but please note that I am an entrepreneur and an explorer of entrepreneurial theories, not a scientist.

I thank everyone who helped in producing the book and checking the facts.

The book provides frameworks that help you to form an understanding of how to apply them creatively to your ventures and aspirations. It strives for clarity over accuracy and thus tries not to get lost in rabbit holes of explanation.

It experiments with various models and concepts of how to track and understand innovation and how each new innovation lays a foundation for future forms.

Maybe being intelligent isn’t hard. Intelligence is connecting the dots, the result of which is realised through a process of work and not through general opinion. Work is building and selling and reiterating and pivoting.

I hope the book adds value to you in your understanding of innovation.

I hope it adds a dot to all the dots you will connect in the future.

Let’s build the future.

Let’s work and experiment and discover new secrets.

Special thanks to...

I appreciate my family, friends and colleagues. I would like to single out the following people and thank them for they brought about a material contribution to the book, creatively and project-wise: Lara Stander (editor), Kagiso Maloma (my little brother), Thabang Phago (friend) and Tendai Joe (friend).

SECTION I: HOW TO ‘INNOVATE THE NEXT’

1.  The best method of innovating and pre-determining the feasibility & success of products: Adjacent Possible feasibility factors of products

Throughout my adult life, I’ve searched for the best methods to determine and predict which products and business ideas are most likely to succeed.

I’ve struggled to believe in many of the methods I’ve read about. That is until I read Stephen Johnson’s, ‘Where Good Ideas Come From[i].’ It is an outstanding book.

In it, I came across a biological theory called the Adjacent Possible, a term coined by the theoretical biologist, Stuart A. Kauffman.

Stephen Johnson, in his book, shows how this theory is successful in mapping and explaining how and why certain things (products, in our case as entrepreneurs), (a) become successful, (b) become successful in a shorter or longer time, and (c) why some fail: even some as a consequence of the fact that they were just ahead of their time.

Johnson defined the Adjacent Possible as, "... a kind of shadow future, hovering on the edges of the present state of things, a map of all the ways in which the present can reinvent itself... [it] captures both the limits and the creative potential of change and innovation".

It basically means; that which can be, will be because of what is presently possible. Before aeroplanes existed, I am sure that many people imagined flying, or creating a flying object. The advent of motor engines made the creation of flying objects more possible and later on, after various experiments, aeroplanes became possible. Motor engines also gave rise to many other possibilities, and some of those possibilities actualised into things like cars, speed boats and lawnmowers.

In an innovation sense, it means that today, everything already here on earth gives possibility to many other innovations that are not yet here.

What are those not-yet-existing innovations? That is for us to discover and create.

To clarify further, here is an example that is not about innovation, but something to which we all can relate: Let us say that you become a fan of a celebrity you saw act in a specific movie, and you then start following all the movies they act in; the Adjacent Possible is that, in the future, you are likely to get to know other actors in the movies in which this actor takes part. You are also likely to know who his friends, girlfriends, mother and children are. That information is all within the realm of your possibilities, after becoming a fan of that actor.

If you picked up this book because you have an interest in entrepreneurship, and you know nothing about evolutionary biology, your Adjacent Possible at this moment (because I am going to tell you about it), is that you will know at least a little bit about evolutionary biology after reading this book.

Presenting the Adjacent Possible, and a bit of evolutionary biology

Let’s begin with a basic understanding of the biologically rooted Adjacent Possible Theory. My head hurts when I read scientific text: I have to keep google-searching the meanings of words and reading it over and over again until I grasp it with comprehension.

So, ladies, gents and others, please stay with me as I trail a succinct story of the biological processes that will lead us to a workable understanding of the Adjacent Possible. Once we understand this process better, I will move us towards applying it to entrepreneurship and the innovation of products.

As humans, we arrogantly think that life is all about us and happens only for us. So, I will be using ‘us’ and ‘we’ a lot.

Human beings are an innovation of nature; this is the theory behind evolutionary biology. It goes for all the biological kingdom member organisms.

The biological kingdom includes animals (of which humans beings are a part), plants, fungi, protists, archaea and bacteria.

Charles Darwin, in The Origin of Species, said, One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.

It means that all organisms that currently exist, are here because nature selected them, (i.e. innovated them), to continue in their present form. All organic beings present today are here because they survived, and will continue to survive if they keep producing offspring that survive them when they die.

Because nature selected us, and all other living organisms, to be as we are now (as Darwin described) it means that it had to have selected us from something, and thus we can surmise that we came from other forms of life, or in a more poetic form; that we were something else before we became what we are now, signifying that there is an ancestral trail of our origins.

Evolutionary biology traces us, and all other organisms, to single-cell organisms which existed about 3.8 billion years ago[ii]. Human beings are, therefore, multi-cell organisms that evolved from single-cell organisms. Bacteria are single-cell organisms that originated about 3.5 billion years ago[iii].

Scientists have traced a common (shared DNA) ancestor for all organisms which fall within the biology tree, they named it LUCA; i.e. Last Universal Common Ancestor.

From single-cell organisms, came multi-cell organisms: all organisms are made up of cells. Nature has been mixing and remixing cells to form various combinations of cellular organisms (i.e. organisms which differ from their predecessors), and in so doing, has been creating a variety of different species. Humans are a species. (A Species is a group of living organisms that can interbreed or exchange genes.) Dogs are a different species. Dogs and humans cannot interbreed.

There were both errors and successes in the evolutionary process. The successes meant the survival of a species through reproduction. Charles Darwin called this, ‘natural selection’ which is defined as, ‘the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype.’

Along the evolutionary route, some species became extinct for various reasons. A simple example is the dinosaur.

It is estimated that 99 percent of all species that ever lived are extinct[iv], while only a few developed and evolved further.

This brings us to the point of singling out an important element to evolution and the survival of a species, i.e. fitness to endure within the environment.

Around 65 million years ago, prior to the existence of humans and primates, a mass extinction occurred[v] which wiped out all animals of fifty pounds (24.9476 KG), and over; this included dinosaurs. To quote from Joseph E. LeDoux’s book, The Deep History of Ourselves[vi]: While it is not certain what led to this mass extinction, a popular theory is that a large meteor produced a cloud of dust upon impact, blocking sunlight and disrupting photosynthesis by plants, and thus altering the food chain. Smaller reptiles, birds, and mammals were impacted less, perhaps because they needed less food to survive.

Earth’s environment today enables us to live. It has oxygen; and we depend on this oxygen to breathe and thus live. We are creatures dependent on oxygen. 

Elon Musk wants to create an alternative city on Mars, just in case we succeed in ruining our planet and/or we are hit by any cataclysmic natural disasters. A major problem though, is that the oxygen on Mars is less than one-hundredth (1/100 or 0.01) of what we have on Earth. But I am sure Elon and other like-minded individuals are testing for possible solutions.

So basically, we wouldn’t survive on Mars as is; the natural environment there won’t allow us to breathe and thus survive. There would have to be several man-made innovations to make it a possibility. Oxygen masks would need to be worn initially for sure. One of the long-term intervention hypotheses is: to establish plants on Mars in incubators, so as to possibly form enough oxygen, through photosynthesis, for human survival. Photosynthesis is how plants generate energy and thus produce oxygen.

Another problem is that the average recorded temperature on Mars is –63 °C, as it is much further from the Sun than we are, and plants and people would freeze.

To make an absurd illustration that environments allow or disallow life; human beings would not have survived the primordial soup era atmosphere, i.e. about 3.8 billion years ago (primordial soup is defined as, ‘a solution rich in organic compounds in the primitive oceans of the earth, from which life is thought to have originated). This is because 21 percent of the air we breathe is made up of molecular oxygen, and it was largely absent for about the first 2 billion[vii] years of Earth’s history, so we wouldn’t have survived, in our current form, over 2 billion years ago.

The earth’s environment, however, has been evolving. At each evolutionary stage, the environment allowed certain species to form (evolve), thrive and survive, as nature selected some and disallowed others. Some species adapted through trial and error, others became extinct, due to the changing environment as I mentioned before, e.g. the dinosaurs.

Getting into the Adjacent Possible

In an origin of life sense (biological sense), it means that human life was