There is a theory underlying innovation that suggests successful companies replicate their innovation process in waves of repeating cycles, three stages in each. Discovery, innovate (execute), and repeat. When the cycle stops, the company’s decline and eventual failure begins. When it continues, the foundation is available for analysis, seminars, and an unending list of books promoting one or more success theories.
The idea of repeating whatever action has taken one from A to B is not new or limited to innovation. Athletes repeat their athletic moves endlessly, trying to replicate their early success. Writers use endless variations on the same storyline, hoping that publishers continue to accept and promote their work and readers keep coming back to a familiar story with new characters. At some point one would think that there would be a need for change. Evidence reminds me that some writers are able to perpetuate the same story, different settings and characters for most of their lives.
As I reflect on the need, desire, and comfort that comes with replication, I am reminded that my mother struggled to replicate any dish she has cooked one to many times. It is not as if we had lost a taste for it! On the contrary, we loved those special dishes. Her need to change was one of boredom; she hated being predictable and doing something because that was the way it has always been done. Experimentation was more important than replication.
When it comes to the pillars in my life, I find myself looking for something I can believe in that will not, does not, change. While I love experimenting on the edges, at the core I am looking for something consistent and unchanging. The focus is on replicating what works within and for me. At the same time, I realize that I can lost sight of yesterday’s foundation. A writer reminds me that Compassion, Acceptance, and Community last forever. Behind them, “It’s the Covenant he [Divinity] made with Abraham, the same oath he swore to Isaac,” (Psalm 105.9)
The covenant remains; it can be replicated.
